Abstract: A drawing apparatus for performing drawing on a substrate includes: a decelerating electrostatic lens configured to decelerate a charged particle beam emitted by a charged particle source; a division unit having a plurality of apertures and configured to divide the charged particle beam decelerated by the decelerating electrostatic lens into a plurality of charged particle beams; and an accelerating electrostatic lens configured to accelerate the plurality of charged particle beams divided by the division unit.

Abstract: An image forming method including charging an image bearing member by applying combination of DC voltage and AC voltage with frequency of 6.5 to 8.5 cycle/mm; irradiating the image bearing member with light to form an electrostatic image; developing the electrostatic image with a developer including toner to form a toner image; transferring the toner image onto a receiving material; fixing the toner image; cleaning the image bearing member with a blade; then applying a lubricant to the image bearing member; and then spreading the lubricant with a spreading member countering the image bearing member. The toner includes toner particles granulated in an aqueous medium; and at least three kinds of external additives including a first particulate hydrophobic silica, a particulate hydrophobic titanium oxide and a second particulate hydrophobic silica respectively having BET specific surface areas of 20 to 40 m2/g, 40 to 80 m2/g, and 130 to 300 m2/g.

Abstract: An image-bearing member protecting agent including: a hydrophobic organic compound (A); an inorganic lubricant (B); and inorganic fine particles (C), wherein each of the inorganic fine particles (C) has a specific surface area of 2.0 m2/g to 6.5 m2/g.

Abstract: A protective agent for an image bearing member of an image forming apparatus. The protective agent is applied onto a surface of the image bearing member and includes a hydrophobic organic compound (A), an inorganic fine particle (B), and an inorganic lubricant (C).

Abstract: An initialization method of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes rotating a photosensitive member to receive toner along a width of the photosensitive member prior to activation of a charging unit and to remove the toner with a cleaning unit, and activating the charging unit configured to charge the photosensitive member in response to a determination of a completion of a predetermined number of rotations of the photosensitive member.

Abstract: To provide an image-bearing member protecting agent used for forming a protective layer on a surface of an image bearing member, the agent including: a compressed powder body formed by pressurizing a powder containing at least a fatty acid metal salt (A) and an inorganic lubricant (B), wherein a ratio Db/Da of an average particle diameter Db of the inorganic lubricant (B) to an average particle diameter Da of the fatty acid metal salt (A) satisfies 0<Db/Da?0.40.

Abstract: Disclosed is an electrophotographic recording medium that contains a support and an olefin-maleic anhydride copolymer, wherein the olefin-maleic anhydride copolymer exists at least near the surface of the electrophotographic recording medium on which an image is recorded, and the electrophotographic recording medium is reusable; and a method for producing an electrophotographic recording medium, an image forming method, a method for repeatedly using an electrophotographic recording medium, and a method for repeatedly using an electrophotographic recording medium.

Abstract: A protective agent for an image bearing member of an image forming apparatus. The protective agent is applied onto a surface of the image bearing member and includes a hydrophobic organic compound (A), an inorganic fine particle (B), and an inorganic lubricant (C).

Abstract: To provide an image bearing member protecting agent that includes at least a hydrophobic organic compound and an amphiphile organic compound. Preferred embodiments are that the hydrophobic organic compound is a hydrocarbon wax, and the hydrocarbon wax is at least a wax selected from normal paraffins, isoparaffins, and cycloparaffins; and that the amphiphile organic compound is an polyalcohol esterified compound including a nonionic surface active surfactant, and the nonionic surface active surfactant is an alkyl carboxylic acid represented by a structural formula, CnH2n+1COOH.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a case, a printing medium feeding unit disposed in the case to feed printing media, an image forming unit disposed in the case to form images on a printing medium fed from the printing medium feeding unit using developer and to include at least one portion being stained when the images are formed, and a control portion to control the image forming unit to form the images in a plurality of print modes. The control portion sends a cleaning command to clean the at least one stained portion when the amount of the developer used by the image forming unit reaches a reference amount of the developer or when the number of the printing media supplied by the printing medium feeding unit reaches a reference value of the number of the printing media.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image print which has a toner-holding layer on an image-supporting substrate in which the toner-holding layer holds a toner image formed by toner particles, wherein the toner-holding layer is composed of a hydrogel having a water content of 10% by mass or more and not more than 90% by mass.

Abstract: An image-forming method is provided which enable high-quality images to be formed over a long time period. In the image-forming method, an electrophotographic photosensitive member is used having a surface layer formed of a hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide in which a ratio of the number of carbon atoms to the sum of the number of silicon atoms and the number of the carbon atoms in the surface layer is 0.61 or more and 0.75 or less, and the sum of the atomic density of the silicon atoms and the atomic density of the carbon atoms in the surface layer is 6.60×1022 atoms/cm3 or more, and the peak wavelength of pre-exposure light is shorter than the peak wavelength of image exposure light.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a xerographic print comprising a substrate with a toner-based image printed thereon, the printed substrate including low surface tension portions having a surface tension of no more than about 22 mN/m at 25 Deg. C. resulting in a surface tension gradient field on the substrate, the printed substrate being coated with a coating comprising at least one surfactant and a film-forming polymer, the coating having a liquid phase surface tension at 25 Deg. C. not exceeding the surface tension of the low surface tension portions of the printed substrate by more than about 2 mN/m, the coating having substantially no pinholes and being sufficiently resistant to permeation by the fuser oil to exhibit an effective absence of haze 24 hours after application. A system and a method of applying a substantially pinhole-free and haze-free coating substantially immediately after print fusing also are disclosed.

Abstract: Xerographic prints with a toner-based image and an overprint, said overprint based on radiation curable compositions containing a radiation curable oligomer/monomer, at least one photoinitiator and at least one surfactant, are disclosed. The overprints are particularly well-suited for wetting over substrates containing residual fuser oil and reducing or preventing document offset and for protecting xerographic images on substrates subjected to abrasives, heat, and/or sunlight since the compositions protect such images from cracking, fading, and smearing.

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: The invention provides conductivity control agent comprised of a polymeric material containing hydroxyalkylphosphonium (2-hydoxyethoxycarbonyl) arylsulfonate salts. The conductivity control agents can be used with semi-conductive rolls, belts and other biasable members. The inclusion of the conductivity control agent in the polymeric or polyurethane elastomers extends the electrical life of the polyurethane biasable member in low humidity environments. Additionally, the resistivity of the elastomeric polyurethane or polymer on the biasable member is controlled to a desirable value by adjusting the conductivity control agent level in the polymeric or polyurethane elastomers.

Abstract: The present invention provides conductivity control agents derived from the trans esterification of dialkyl phosphonium 5-sulfoisophthalate salts with poly(alkylene glycols). The conductivity control agents can be used with semi-conductive rolls, belts and other biasable members. The inclusion of the conductivity control agent in the polymeric or polyurethane elastomers extends the electrical life of the polymer biasable member in low humidity environments. Additionally, the resistivity of the elastomeric polymers or polyurethane on the biasable member is controlled to a desirable value by adjusting the conductivity control agent level in the polymer elastomers.

Abstract: An image forming method comprising: developing a latent image formed on a cylindrical electrophotographic photoreceptor having a cylindricity of 5 to 40 ?m, with a developer comprising toner in which a ratio Dv50/Dp50 of a 50% volume particle diameter Dv50 to a 50% number particle diameter Dp50 is 1.0 to 1.15, a ratio Dv75/Dp75 of a cumulative 75% volume particle diameter from the largest volume particle diameter Dv75, to a cumulative 75% number particle diameter from the largest number particle diameter Dp75, is 1.0 to 1.20, and the number of toner particles having a particle diameter of 0.7×Dp50 or less is 10 percent by number or less, to form a toner image; and transferring the toner image from the photoreceptor to an intermediate transferring member, is disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a polymeric material containing conductivity control agents derived from a hydroxyalkylphosphonium sulfonate salt. The conductivity control agents can be used with semi-conductive rolls, belts and other biasable members. The inclusion of the conductivity control agent in polymeric or polyurethane elastomers extends the electrical life of the polymer biasable member in low humidity environments. Additionally, the resistivity of the elastomeric polyurethane or polymer on the biasable member is controlled to a desirable value by adjusting the conductivity control agent level in the elastomers.

Abstract: The invention provides a conductivity control agent comprised of a polymeric material containing diphosphonium bis(sulfoarylcarbonyloxy) glycol salts as conductivity control agent. The conductivity control agents can be used with semi-conductive rolls, belts and other biasable members. The inclusion of the conductivity control agent in the polymeric or polyurethane elastomers extends the electrical life of the polymeric biasable member in low humidity environments. Additionally, the resistivity of the elastomeric polymer on the biasable member is controlled to a desirable value by adjusting the conductivity control agent level in the elastomers.

Abstract: A varnish composition and the method of making a varnish composition comprising at least one latex emulsion, water, at least one amino alcohol or at least one alkali base and at least one surfactant.

Abstract: A composition includes at least one radiation curable (alkyl)acrylate-polyester oligomer, at least one photoinitiator, and at least one surfactant, wherein the composition has a viscosity of from about 50 cP to about 3000 cP at about 25° C., and a surface tension of from about 15 to about 40 dynes/cm at about 25° C.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention comprises an image carrier, a lubricant application device that applies a first lubricant to the image carrier surface, and a developing device that houses a developer to which a second lubricant is added and develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier. Here, the pure water contact angle ?1 of the first lubricant and the pure water contact angle ?2 of the second lubricant have the following relationship, ?1??2. Furthermore, a frictional coefficient of the second lubricant may be larger than a frictional coefficient of the first lubricant.

Abstract: An image developing method is disclosed that is able to efficiently remove degraded toner on a developing agent carrier, prevent formation of abnormal images, ensure good image quality over time, and increase the service life of the device. The developing method includes a step of calculating an amount of consumption of the developing agent during image formation and an amount of consumption of the developing agent in a compulsory toner consumption mode under different calculation conditions between the image formation and the compulsory toner consumption mode. In the compulsory toner consumption mode, a developing bias different from a developing bias used during image formation is applied for a predetermined time period to discharge residual developing agent on a developing agent carrier to a latent image carrier.

Abstract: Provided are an electrophotographic image-receiving sheet that comprises a support, a toner image-receiving layer on at least one side of the support, wherein the toner image-receiving layer is formed from a coating liquid for the toner image-receiving layer and the coating liquid for the toner image-receiving layer comprises an aqueous dispersion that comprises a crystalline polymer, and an image forming method that employs the electrophotographic image-receiving sheet.

Abstract: A charge apparatus charges by uniformly superimposing an alternate current bias voltage with a fixed frequency over a direct current bias voltage as the charge bias voltage on a photosensitive member. An exposure apparatus exposes the surface of the charged photosensitive member based on image data, and writes a latent image, and a developing apparatus supplies toner to and makes visible the latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive member. A transfer apparatus transfers the visible image on the photosensitive member to a transfer medium, and a cleaning apparatus cleans the surface of the photosensitive member after transfer.

Abstract: In an image forming method in which a toner image, which is visualized via an electrostatic latent image formed on an electrophotographic photoreceptor, employing a developer incorporating toner, is transferred onto a recording material followed by fixing, and any residual toner remaining on the electrophotographic photoreceptor is removed, an image forming method in which an electrophotographic photoreceptor and a toner which satisfy specified requirements are employed and image formation is carried out while feeding a surface energy lowering agent from the developer onto the aforesaid electrophotographic photoreceptor, and an image forming apparatus employing the same.

Abstract: To provide an image bearing member protecting agent that includes at least a hydrophobic organic compound and an amphiphile organic compound. Preferred embodiments are that the hydrophobic organic compound is a hydrocarbon wax, and the hydrocarbon wax is at least a wax selected from normal paraffins, isoparaffins, and cycloparaffins; and that the amphiphile organic compound is an polyalcohol esterified compound including a nonionic surface active surfactant, and the nonionic surface active surfactant is an alkyl carboxylic acid represented by a structural formula, CnH2n+1COOH.