To produce images at high speed, to conserve energy, and to be satisfactorily
operated over the long run, a method fixes a toner onto an electrophotographic
image-receiving sheet with the use of a belt fixing and smoothing apparatus and
thereby forms an electrophotographic image. The belt fixing and smoothing apparatus
includes a hot-pressing member, a belt member, a cooling device, and a cooling-releasing
section. In the method, the total heat capacity per unit area in portions where
the belt member, the toner, and the electrophotographic image-receiving sheet are
in contact with one another is 840 J/K/m2 or less.
