To provide a fixing device that maintains an image of high picture quality by making surface property of a heating rotator uniform by removing a form edge trace formed on the outer peripheral surface of the heating rotator.

The fixing device has the heating rotator which is heated by a heating source and a pressure rotator which is pressed against the heating rotator, and clamps and conveys a recording medium carrying an unfixed image to perform fixation at a fixation nip formed by the heating rotator and pressure rotator. The fixing device is provided with a contact member which can contact and leave the outer peripheral surface of the heating rotator, and also provided with a control means of controlling the contact member to come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the heating rotator when widths of recording media are changed.

COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT