Abstract: An image forming method in which an image carrier that has a surface layer containing a resin having a crosslinking structure is used; a material of a portion of the cleaning blade which portion contacts the surface of the image carrier satisfies 3.92?M?29.42, 0>??0.294, and S?250; an absolute value of difference in circumferential velocity between the image carrier and the intermediate transfer member is larger than zero; a polishing agent is present at a contact portion between the image carrier and the intermediate transfer member; M represents 100% modulus; ? represents a ratio of a change in stress (? stress) to a change in a strain amount (? strain amount) from 100% strain to 200% strain in a stress-strain curve; and S represents a breaking elongation measured according to JIS K6251 using a dumbbell type #3 test piece.

Abstract: An image forming method in which an image carrier that has a surface layer containing a resin having a crosslinking structure is used; a material of a portion of the cleaning blade which portion contacts the surface of the image carrier satisfies 3.92?M?29.42, 0???0.294, and S?250; an absolute value of difference in circumferential velocity between the image carrier and the intermediate transfer member is larger than zero; a polishing agent is present at a contact portion between the image carrier and the intermediate transfer member; M represents 100% modulus; a represents a ratio of a change in stress (? stress) to a change in a strain amount (? strain amount) from 100% strain to 200% strain in a stress-strain curve; and S represents a breaking elongation measured according to JIS K6251 using a dumbbell type #3 test piece.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a recording medium supplying device that supplies a recording medium; an image carrier arranged beneath the recording medium supplying device in a gravitation direction; a carrying passage that transports the recording medium supplied from the recording medium supplying device, and arranged between the recording medium supplying device and the image carrier and having a horizontal carrying portion which extends approximately in a horizontal direction and serves to carry the recording medium; and a transferring unit that transfers, at the horizontal carrying portion of the carrying passage, a toner carried by the image carrier onto a lower surface in the gravitation direction of the recording medium supplied from the recording medium supplying device.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a recording medium supplying device that supplies a recording medium; an image carrier arranged beneath the recording medium supplying device in a gravitation direction; a carrying passage that transports the recording medium supplied from the recording medium supplying device, and arranged between the recording medium supplying device and the image carrier and having a horizontal carrying portion which extends approximately in a horizontal direction and serves to carry the recording medium; and a transferring unit that transfers, at the horizontal carrying portion of the carrying passage, a toner carried by the image carrier onto a lower surface in the gravitation direction of the recording medium supplied from the recording medium supplying device.

Abstract: In a color image forming apparatus, charging, exposure and development are repeated thereby a plurality of color component toner images are formed in superposing on an image carrier and then transferred collectively to an image receptor. As a charging device used in image forming cycle of at least the second color or later, a corona charging device having a discharge electrode and a grid is used. An electrode power source applying at least AC voltage is connected to the discharge electrode, and a grid power source applying AC voltage in nearly the same phase as that of the AC voltage applied to the discharge electrode is connected to the grid, and frequency or peak-to-peak amplitude of the AC voltage from the grid power source is set to optimum range.

Abstract: In a color image forming apparatus, a screen of each of electrostatic latent images to be formed by an exposing device has a parallel lines structure, and phases of the electrostatic latent images each having the parallel lines structure for at least two different colors are made different from each other. Accordingly, the color image forming apparatus can totally solve the problem caused by the rise in potential of exposed portions by toner charges and the dielectric property of toner layers and the problem caused by the toner shielding effect to thereby allow faithful reproduction of a highlight area important for a good halftone image, especially a high-quality color image.

Abstract: A color-image forming apparatus includes: an electrostatic latent image holder; electrostatic latent image forming unit for forming a plurality of electrostatic latent images on the image holder; a scanning unit for scanning the electrostatic latent image holder periodically at predetermined timings; developing devices for developing each of the plurality of electrostatic latent images by toners of each of different colors respectively, and forming thus developed toner image on the image holder; a simultaneously transferring device for simultaneously transferring the plurality of toner images onto a transfer medium; fixing device for fixing the toner image on the transfer medium; and timing-setting unit for setting a timing at which said scanning means starts scanning at each of slow scanning pitches in the direction of fast scanning for each of the plurality of colors; wherein the timings which are allotted to each of the colors are different each other so that the starting position of the scanning of each c

Abstract: An image forming apparatus which comprises a laser light source, a light beam scanning unit which scans an image receiving member with a light beam, and an optical system for forming a spot of the light beam, which has a predetermined diameter. The light beam is modulated by a pulse modulation unit based on the density data of an image. The size of picture elements formed on the image receiving member is a function of parameters of the laser scanning unit and the pulse modulation unit, and the spot size is designed at least 1.7 times as large as the corresponding size of picture elements.

Abstract: Disclosed is a color image forming device in which latent images are formed by radiating a light beam onto a photoreceptor for each of colors, the latent images are developed to provide visible images, and a recording medium is transported to the visible images a plurality of times to form on the recording medium a color image consisting of a plurality of colors. The color image forming device includes a unit for detecting a reference transporting position of the recording medium to be moved to the photoreceptor, a unit for detecting a scan start signal of the light beam, a unit for measuring an error time from detection of the reference transporting position to detection of the scan start signal, and a unit for correcting a radiation timing of the light beam in accordance with the error time.

Abstract: An optical writing apparatus whereby non-light-emitting portions that might exist between adjacent light-emitting elements arranged in parallel rows can be substantially eliminated either in the direction of the rows or in the direction perpendicular to the row direction. In addition, dotted latent electrostatic images can be formed in such a way that adjacent dots partially overlap with each other, thus contributing to improved image quality and resolution. Further, because light-emitting elements are connected to a common anode electrode, a reduced number of electronic devices is required to drive the elements.

Abstract: A fluorescent printer head capable of rendering luminance of dot-like anodes along its main scanning direction uniform and stable to improve quality of printing in an optical printer. The fluorescent printer head includes dot-like anodes constituting a luminous area, control electrodes having apertures formed at positions corresponding to the dot-like anodes, and at least one filamentary cathode stretched above the control electrode extending along the middle portion of the luminous area.

Abstract: An optical write head for an electrostatic dot-matrix image printing system which includes a plurality of controlled light emission element row-arrays positioned parallel and spaced in the direction perpendicular to the row-wise direction a distance equal to an integer multiple of the desired dot image-pitch S measured in the perpendicular direction, corrected by the fraction S/N where N is the number of row-arrays. A timed electrode drive circuit activates the arrays sequentially, and grid mask elements extending transversely across the row-arrays control emission from the individual light emission elements in an activated array, to minimize the number of drive circuit switching elements. A series-to-parallel signal conversion and storage circuit preprocesses the recording signal of the image to be printed.