Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image holding member including a conductive substrate, a photosensitive layer, and a protection layer; a charging unit; an electrostatic image forming unit; a developing unit that includes an electrostatic image developer having a toner and develops the electrostatic image to form a toner image; a transfer unit that transfers the toner image onto a surface of a recording medium; a fixing unit that fixes the toner image; and a cleaning unit that includes a cleaning blade. The toner includes toner particles and silica particles having a number average particle size of 110 nm to 130 nm, a large-diameter-side number particle size distribution index (upper GSDp) of less than 1.080, and an average circularity of 0.94 to 0.98, wherein 80 number % or more of the silica particles have a circularity of 0.92 or more.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a developing section that forms a toner image by developing an electrostatic latent image using toner. The toner satisfies the following relations: (ln?(T1)?ln?(T2))/(T1?T2)??0.14; (ln?(T2)?ln?(T3))/(T2?T3)??0.15; and (ln?(T1)?ln?(T2))/(T1?T2)<(ln?(T2)?ln?(T3))/(T2?T3), where ?(T1) represents a viscosity of the toner at 60° C., ?(T2) represents a viscosity of the toner at 90° C., and ?(T3) represents a viscosity of the toner at 130° C.).

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image holding member; a charging unit; an electrostatic image forming unit; a developing unit that includes an electrostatic image developer including a toner and develops the electrostatic image formed on the surface of the image holding member with the electrostatic image developer to form a toner image; a transfer unit; and a cleaning unit that removes toner particles present on the surface of the image holding member. The cleaning unit includes a cleaning blade arranged to contact with the surface of the image holding member. The cleaning unit includes a cleaning blade A containing a contacting portion having a JIS-A hardness of 90° or more, or the cleaning unit includes a control unit B that controls a load with which the cleaning blade contacts with the image holding member, the control unit B controlling the load in a constant load mode.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image holding member; a charging unit; an electrostatic image forming unit; a developing unit that includes an electrostatic image developer including a toner and develops the electrostatic image formed on the surface of the image holding member with the electrostatic image developer to form a toner image; a transfer unit; and a cleaning unit that removes toner particles present on the surface of the image holding member. The cleaning unit includes a cleaning blade arranged to contact with the surface of the image holding member. The cleaning unit includes a cleaning blade A containing a contacting portion having a JIS-A hardness of 90° or more, or the cleaning unit includes a control unit B that controls a load with which the cleaning blade contacts with the image holding member, the control unit B controlling the load in a constant load mode.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image holding member including a conductive substrate, a photosensitive layer, and a protection layer; a charging unit; an electrostatic image forming unit; a developing unit that includes an electrostatic image developer having a toner and develops the electrostatic image to form a toner image; a transfer unit that transfers the toner image onto a surface of a recording medium; a fixing unit that fixes the toner image; and a cleaning unit that includes a cleaning blade. The toner includes toner particles and silica particles having a number average particle size of 110 nm to 130 nm, a large-diameter-side number particle size distribution index (upper GSDp) of less than 1.080, and an average circularity of 0.94 to 0.98, wherein 80 number % or more of the silica particles have a circularity of 0.92 or more.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier; a charging section that charges a surface of the image carrier; an electrostatic charge image forming section that forms an electrostatic charge image on the charged surface of the image carrier; a developing section that has a container containing an electrostatic charge image developer and develops the electrostatic charge image formed on the surface of the image carrier into a toner image using the electrostatic charge image developer, the electrostatic charge image developer including toner for electrostatic charge image development, the toner containing toner particles and an external additive; a transfer section that transfers the toner image formed on the surface of the image carrier to a surface of a recording medium; a cleaning section that has a cleaning blade with which the cleaning section cleans the surface of the image carrier; and a lubricant supplying section that has a lubricant supplying member that supplies a lubricant to the contact por

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a developing section that forms a toner image by developing an electrostatic latent image using toner. The toner satisfies the following relations: (ln?(T1)?ln ?(T2))/(T1?T2)??0.14; (ln ?(T2)?ln ?(T3))/(T2?T3)??0.15; and (ln ?(T1)?ln ?(T2))/(T1?T2)<(ln ?(T2)?ln ?(T3))/(T2?T3), where ?(T1) represents a viscosity of the toner at 60° C., ?(T2) represents a viscosity of the toner at 90° C., and ?(T3) represents a viscosity of the toner at 130° C.).

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier; a charging section that charges a surface of the image carrier; an electrostatic charge image forming section that forms an electrostatic charge image on the charged surface of the image carrier; a developing section that has a container containing an electrostatic charge image developer and develops the electrostatic charge image formed on the surface of the image carrier into a toner image using the electrostatic charge image developer, the electrostatic charge image developer including toner for electrostatic charge image development, the toner containing toner particles and an external additive; a transfer section that transfers the toner image formed on the surface of the image carrier to a surface of a recording medium; a cleaning section that has a cleaning blade with which the cleaning section cleans the surface of the image carrier; and a lubricant supplying section that has a lubricant supplying member that supplies a lubricant to the contact por

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image holding member; a charging unit that charges a surface of the image holding member; an electrostatic image forming unit that forms an electrostatic image on the charged surface of the image holding member; a developing unit that houses a toner for electrostatic image development and develops the electrostatic image formed on the surface of the image holding member with the toner to thereby form a toner image; a transfer unit that transfers the toner image formed on the surface of the image holding member onto a surface of a recording medium; a cleaning unit that includes a cleaning blade and cleans the surface of the image holding member; and a fixing unit that fixes the toner image transferred onto the surface of the recording medium. The cleaning blade has a contact portion that contacts the surface of the image holding member, the contact portion having a JIS-A hardness of from 90° to 130° inclusive.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image holding member, a charging unit that charges the surface of the image holding member, an electrostatic charge image forming unit that forms an electrostatic charge image on the charged surface of the image holding member, a developing unit that includes a developer containing toner particles containing a release agent having a melting temperature ranging from 60° C. to 100° C.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image holding member, a charging unit that charges the surface of the image holding member, an electrostatic charge image forming unit that forms an electrostatic charge image on the charged surface of the image holding member, a developing unit that includes a developer containing toner particles containing a release agent having a melting temperature ranging from 60° C. to 100° C.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier that includes a conductive substrate, and a photosensitive layer and a surface protection layer; a developing device that includes an electrostatic image developer containing a toner, and develops the electrostatic image to form a toner image. The toner contains an amorphous polyester resin and has a weight average molecular weight Mw in a range of from 25,000 to 60,000, and a ratio of the weight average molecular weight Mw to a number average molecular weight Mn (Mw/Mn) is in a range of from 5 to 10. In the toner, a ratio of an absorbance for a wavelength of 1500 cm?1 to an absorbance for a wavelength of 720 cm?1 is 0.6 or less, and a ratio of an absorbance for a wavelength of 820 cm?1 to the absorbance for a wavelength of 720 cm?1 is 0.4 or less.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image holding member; a charging unit; an electrostatic image forming unit; a developing unit; a transfer unit; and a fixing unit that fixes the toner image on the recording medium. The toner has an amorphous polyester resin and has a weight-average molecular weight Mw in a range of 25,000 to 60,000, a ratio Mw/Mn is within a range of 5 to 10, a ratio of an absorbance at a wavenumber of 1500 cm?1 to an absorbance at a wavenumber of 720 cm?1 is 0.6 or less, and a ratio of an absorbance at a wavenumber of 820 cm?1 to the absorbance at a wavenumber of 720 cm?1 is 0.4 or less. The fixing unit includes a heat roll having an elastic component, an endless belt and a pressure pad that is disposed on an inner side of the endless belt.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image holding member; a charging unit; an electrostatic image forming unit; a developing unit; a transfer unit; and a fixing unit that fixes the toner image on the recording medium. The toner has an amorphous polyester resin and has a weight-average molecular weight Mw in a range of 25,000 to 60,000, a ratio Mw/Mn is within a range of 5 to 10, a ratio of an absorbance at a wavenumber of 1500 cm?1 to an absorbance at a wavenumber of 720 cm?1 is 0.6 or less, and a ratio of an absorbance at a wavenumber of 820 cm?1 to the absorbance at a wavenumber of 720 cm?1 is 0.4 or less. The fixing unit includes a heat roll having an elastic component, an endless belt and a pressure pad that is disposed on an inner side of the endless belt.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image holding member, a charging device, an electrostatic charge image forming device, a developing device having a toner, a transfer device, and a fixing device, wherein the fixing device includes a fixing belt, a rotational member, and a heater; the toner contains an amorphous polyester resin as a binder resin; and the toner has a weight average molecular weight Mw and a number average molecular weight Mn, Mw is from 25000 to 60000, and Mw/Mn is from 5 to 10, and has an infrared absorption spectrometry, the ratio of absorbance for a wavelength of 1500 cm?1 to absorbance for a wavelength of 720 cm?1 is 0.6 or less, and the ratio of absorbance for a wavelength of 820 cm?1 to absorbance for a wavelength of 720 cm?1 is 0.4 or less.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit including an image carrier, a developing device that includes a developer containing a toner, and a cleaning device including a blade; and a transfer device. The toner contains toner particles having a volume-average particle size of 3 ?m or more and 5 ?m or less, a spherical inorganic external additive having a number-average particle size of 80 nm to 200 nm, and an organic component. In the cleaning device, an external additive residue in or near a contact region between the image carrier and the blade contains the organic component and an inorganic component, the area ratio of the organic component to the inorganic component is 3/7 or more and 7/3 or less, and the area ratio of the inorganic component that is spherical to the external additive residue is 30% or more.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier that includes a conductive substrate, and a photosensitive layer and a surface protection layer; a developing device that includes an electrostatic image developer containing a toner, and develops the electrostatic image to form a toner image. The toner contains an amorphous polyester resin and has a weight average molecular weight Mw in a range of from 25,000 to 60,000, and a ratio of the weight average molecular weight Mw to a number average molecular weight Mn (Mw/Mn) is in a range of from 5 to 10. In the toner, a ratio of an absorbance for a wavelength of 1500 cm?1 to an absorbance for a wavelength of 720 cm?1 is 0.6 or less, and a ratio of an absorbance for a wavelength of 820 cm?1 to the absorbance for a wavelength of 720 cm?1 is 0.4 or less.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image holding member, a charging device, an electrostatic charge image forming device, a developing device having a toner, a transfer device, and a fixing device, wherein the fixing device includes a fixing belt, a rotational member, and a heater; the toner contains an amorphous polyester resin as a binder resin; and the toner has a weight average molecular weight Mw and a number average molecular weight Mn, Mw is from 25000 to 60000, and Mw/Mn is from 5 to 10, and has an infrared absorption spectrometry, the ratio of absorbance for a wavelength of 1500 cm?1 to absorbance for a wavelength of 720 cm?1 is 0.6 or less, and the ratio of absorbance for a wavelength of 820 cm?1 to absorbance for a wavelength of 720 cm?1 is 0.4 or less.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit including an image carrier, a developing device that includes a developer containing a toner, and a cleaning device including a blade; and a transfer device. The toner contains toner particles having a volume-average particle size of 3 ?m or more and 5 ?m or less, a spherical inorganic external additive having a number-average particle size of 80 nm to 200 nm, and an organic component. In the cleaning device, an external additive residue in or near a contact region between the image carrier and the blade contains the organic component and an inorganic component, the area ratio of the organic component to the inorganic component is 3/7 or more and 7/3 or less, and the area ratio of the inorganic component that is spherical to the external additive residue is 30% or more.

Abstract: A developing device includes a container that contains a developer containing a toner therein, a supply tank that is provided adjacent to the container and is supplied with the toner at a supply point within the supply tank, a transport member that is rotatably driven within the supply tank to transport the toner to the container, and an annular member, wherein the annular member has an inner diameter larger than a diameter of a rotatably-driven shaft in the transport member, the rotatably-driven shaft extends through the annular member, and the annular member is held in a partial section in a longitudinal direction of the rotatably-driven shaft.