Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing drum, a developing roller, a toner-supplying roller, and a controller. The developing roller deposits toner to an electrostatic latent image formed on the image bearing drum. The toner-supplying roller is spaced a distance in the range of 0.05 to 1.0 mm from the developing roller and supplies toner to the developing roller. The controller applies a first voltage to the developing roller and a second voltage to the toner-supplying roller. The difference between the first voltage and the second voltage is greater than 130 volts and lower than a voltage above which electrical discharge occurs across the developing member and the toner-supplying roller. The toner-supplying roller has a surface with ridges and valleys formed therein, which extend in a longitudinal direction of the toner-supplying roller. The ridges have a height in the range of 10 to 1000 ?m.

Abstract: An electrophotographic printer includes a rotating photoconductive drum, a developing unit, a transfer roller, and a neutralizer. The neutralizer neutralizes a second area of the surface of the photoconductive drum different from a second area in which the toner is applied. A sensor may be provided along the transport path to detect a leading end and a trailing end of the print medium passing along the transport path. In accordance with the sensor output, the neutralizer neutralizes the second area (i.e., top margin and bottom margin) on the photoconductive drum adjacent the leading end and the trailing end of the print medium. A neutralization data generator may be added. The neutralization data generator searches the bit map data for dots which should be printed, and produces neutralization data on the basis of the dots. Then, the neutralizer illuminates only the second area (i.e., areas in which toner is absent) in accordance with the neutralization data.

Abstract: A toner image processing apparatus performs a printing operation and a cleaning operation. A toner-attracting electrode includes first and second electrodes disposed closer to the charged surface of a photosensitive drum and outside of a path through which the light from the exposing device illuminates the charged surface. During the toner attracting operation, a toner-recovering device causes the toner-attracting electrode to attract the toner particles floating in the air surrounding the exposing device, and reversely charged toner particles and residual toner particles left on the photosensitive drum after the toner image is transferred to the print medium. During the toner-releasing operation, the toner-recovering device causes the toner-attracting electrode to release the attracted toner particles to the photosensitive drum. The toner-attracting operation is performed during the printing operation and the toner-releasing operation is performed during the cleaning operation.