A fuser hot roll for use in an electrophotographic process is disclosed. This roll is constructed such that the center portion of the roll's length has a greater thermal mass per unit length than each of the end portions of the roll's length. This can be accomplished either by constructing the center portion from a material which has a higher thermal capacity than the materials used for constructing the end portions, or constructing the center portion such that it is thicker than the end portions of the roll. The rolls of the present invention provide a simple way for regulating the fuser temperature such that it is uniform across the length of the hot roll, is uniform between the transitory (heat up) state and the steady state, and minimizes hot roll temperature overshoot during the transitory phase. The image fixing apparatus which incorporates this hot roll is also disclosed.