Abstract: An image forming method, comprising the steps of forming an electrostatic image on a electrostatic image-bearing member, developing the electrostatic image with toner particles having a first shape factor (SF-1) of 100-150 and containing a low-softening point substance to form a toner image on the electrostatic image-bearing member, transferring the toner image on the electrostatic image-bearing member to an intermediate transfer member which has been voltage-applied, transferring the toner image on the intermediate transfer member to a transfer-receiving material by a transfer means which has been voltage-applied, and heat-fixing the toner image on the transfer-receiving material. The toner particles may preferably have a second shape factor (SF-2) of 100-140. The total of SF-1 and SF-2 may preferably at most 275, particularly at most 240, for improving transfer efficiency of the toner particles. The low-softening point substance may preferably be an ester wax having a long-chain (e.g., .gtoreq.C.sub.

Abstract: An image forming system for forming an image on a recording sheet, including a rotatable image bearing member, a cleaning member contacting the image bearing member to remove toner remaining on the image bearing member, and charger means contacting the image bearing member and disposed at a downstream side of the cleaning member in a direction of movement of the image bearing member. Lubricant having a low resistance is painted on a contacting portion of the cleaning member between the image bearing member and the cleaning member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; a device for forming a toner image on the image bearing member; an intermediate transfer member for receiving the toner image from the image bearing member; and wherein the intermediate transfer member has an average surface roughness which is smaller than one half a size of one pixel.

Abstract: A developing apparatus includes an image bearing member for bearing an electrostatic image, a developer carrying member, opposed to the image bearing member to form a developing zone therebetween, for carrying a developer to the developing zone to develop an electrostatic latent image on the image bearing member, and oscillating bias means for applying an oscillating bias to the developer carrying member, wherein the oscillating bias includes a constant-current-controlled AC component and a constant-voltage-controlled DC component.

Abstract: In a fixing device, a limitation member for preventing the center distance between a heating member and a shaft of a pressing roller from being reduced does not limit the center distance in an initial state of the device, and prevents a further decrease in the distance when the distance is reduced. It is thereby possible to suppress an increase in the width of a nip portion provided between the heating member and the pressing roller, and to prevent a failure in fixing.

Abstract: In a fixing device, a core material of a fixing rotating member has two largest-diameter portions respectively located between a central portion and each end portion of the fixing rotating member, within a region where a recording material of a largest size passes, and the diameter of each core material is gradually reduced from the largest-diameter portion toward the central portion and toward the nearest end portion. The outer shape of the fixing rotating member conforms to the shape of the core material. According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent corrugation and curl of the recording material, and to provide excellent mountability of the recording material.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first image bearing member on which a toner image can be formed; an intermediate transfer member onto which the toner image is transferable from the first image bearing member; wherein the toner image is further transferred onto a second image bearing member therefrom; wherein the intermediate transfer member comprises a conductive layer to which a voltage is applied, a surface layer on the conductive layer, and a volume resistivity of the surface layer is 10.sup.5 -10.sup.11 ohm.cm.

Abstract: A charging device includes a member to be charged; a charging member, provided connectable to the member to be charged, for charging the member to be a power source for supplying the oscillating voltage to the charging member; a constant voltage element connected electrically in parallel with the portion for generating the oscillating voltage.

Abstract: An image fixing rotatable member and an image fixing apparatus using the rotatable member as a pressing rotatable member, having a fluorine resin tube over a rubber layer, wherein the volume resistivity of the rubber layer is lower than that of the fluorine resin tube so as to avoid charge build-up on the fluorine resin tube.

Abstract: An image forming system for forming an image on a recording sheet, including a rotatable image bearing member, a cleaning member contacting the image bearing member to remove toner remaining on the image bearing member, and charger means contacting the image bearing member and disposed at a downstream side of the cleaning member in a direction of movement of the image bearing member. Lubricant having a low resistance is painted on a contacting portion of the cleaning member between the image bearing member and the cleaning member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a movable image bearing member; an image forming device for forming a toner image on the image bearing member; an image transfer device for transferring the toner image onto a transfer material at a transfer position, the transfer device including a rotatable member contactable to such a side of the transfer material as is opposite from a side contactable to the image bearing member and an electric field forming device for forming an electric field between the image bearing member and the rotatable member; wherein the electric field forming device forms a first electric field effective to transfer the toner from the rotatable member to the image bearing member and a second electric field which is opposite in a direction from the first electric field during a period in which the transfer material is absent at the transfer position, wherein each of the first and second electric fields is formed at least for a period required for the entire surface of the rotatable member pass

Abstract: A charging device including a movable member to be charged, and a charging member which is contactable to the member to be charged so as to charge the member to be charged, wherein the coefficient of dynamic friction between the member to be charged and a surface of the charging member contactable to the member to be charged is not lower than 0.4.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a movable image bearing member; a transfer device cooperative with the image bearing member to form a nip, through which a transfer material is passed to electrostatically transfer an image from the image bearing member onto the transfer material; where the resistance R range providing proper image transfer is determined in accordance with the equation:-9.16.times.10.sup.3 .times.v+11.68-0.65.ltoreq.log.sub.10 (R.times.L).ltoreq.-9.16.times.10.sup.3 .times.v+11.68+0.65where V (mm/sec) is movement speed of the image bearing member (v.gtoreq.40), R (ohm) is a resistance of the transfer device when a voltage of 3 KV is applied between the image bearing member and the transfer device, and L (mm) is a length of the nip measured in a direction of a generating line of the image bearing member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a movable image bearing member; an image forming device for forming a toner image on the image bearing member; image transfer device for transferring the toner image from the image bearing member to a transfer material at an image transfer station, wherein the transfer device includes a charging member press-contacted or faced to the image bearing member and a device for applying a voltage to the charging member, wherein the voltage applying device applies a voltage to the charging member so that the charging member is constant-voltage-controlled when an image region of the image bearing member is in the transfer station, and the charging member is constant-current-controlled during at least a part of a period when it is not in the transfer station, wherein a voltage V2 applied during the constant voltage control is a voltage V1 appearing in the transfer device during the constant current control multiplied by a coefficient R, in which R is larger than 1.

Abstract: An image fixing apparatus for fixing a toner image on a recording material includes a pair of rotatable members for forming a nip through which the recording material is passed; and bias voltage applying source for applying a bias voltage to at least one of the rotatable members, wherein the bias voltage is automatically changed in accordance with change of an ambient condition.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a movable image bearing member, an image forming device for forming the image bearing member, and an image transfer device contactable to the image bearing member at an image transfer position. The transfer device transfers the image formed by the image forming device onto a transfer material while the transfer material is conveyed through the transfer position together with the image bearing member, wherein the transfer device has a hardness of 20-40 degrees (Asker-C), and it is pressed to the image bearing member at a pressure of 50-200 g/cm.sup.2, and wherein a peripheral speed of the transfer device at the transfer position during a transfer operation is higher than a peripheral speed of the image bearing member at the transfer position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a charging device for charging a photosensitive member containing an organic photoconducter, an exposure device, a developing device including a developer, a transfer device and a cleaning device. The photosensitive member employs an organic photoconductor and a polycarbonate resin layer which forms the surface of the photosensitive member. The developer device has a sleeve with a thin layer of an electrical coating material containing dispersed carbon particles. The developer contains insulating magnetic toner particles of relatively small particle size formed from a styrene-acrylic type copolymer or a polyester resin and a magnetic powder.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a movable image bearing member; an image forming device for forming an image on the image bearing member; and a transfer device for transferring the image from the image bearing member onto a transfer material, the transfer device including a movable transfer member contacted to the image bearing member and for conveying the transfer material by the contact portion. The transfer member is disposed in such a direction that a surface friction in the direction of the movement of the transfer member relative to the image bearing member is large.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus comprises: a printer to form an image onto a recording medium; and a blank forming device to form blanks in the peripheral edge portions of the image formed on the recording medium. The blank forming device sets the blank amount in the front edge portion of the image to be smaller than the blank amount in the back edge portion or sets the blank amount of the image on the scan starting side to be smaller than the blank amount of the image on the scan end side. Even if various tolerances regarding the apparatus, copy transfer paper, conveying apparatus, and the like occur, the image is not deviated out of the paper and the toner image which is not copy transferred onto the photo sensitive drum does not remain and does not make the inside of the apparatus dirty. The effective usable region for image formation can be widened even in the two-sided mode and the multi-mode.

Abstract: An electrophotographic process wherein line width is controlled by examining stroke widths of data contained in output information, type of font and other criteria. The control of the electrophotographic process includes control of conditions of electrostatic charge on the dram, exposure or development of a photosensitive body. The electrophotographic process may be controlled in accordance with the font supplied to a printer.