Abstract: An apparatus for forming an image is provided that can sufficiently prevent occurrence of nibbled images without any damage of the photoreceptor and the intermediate transfer body, whereby good image quality can be stably obtained for a long period of time. In an apparatus for forming an image having an intermediate transfer body, the surface of the photoreceptor has a dynamic hardness of 8×109 N/m2 or more, and the surface of the intermediate transfer body has a dynamic hardness larger than that of the surface of the photoreceptor, and a difference between the dynamic hardness of the surface of the photoreceptor and the dynamic hardness of the surface of the intermediate transfer material is 2×1010 N/m2 or less.

Abstract: An image forming method, a process cartridge, and an image forming apparatus are provided, with which an electrophotographic image that has superior image quality, superior fixing ability and remains good even in a hot and humid environment is obtainable. The image forming method includes: developing, with a developing agent, an electrostatic latent image formed on a surface of a photoreceptor to form a toner image; transferring the toner image onto an image receiving member to form a transfer image; and fixing the transferred image onto the image receiving member to form an image, wherein the photoreceptor includes a layer that contains a siloxane compound having charge-transferability and a crosslinking structure, with a compound having acid-adsorbing ability being supplied to the surface of the photoreceptor. The process cartridge and the image forming apparatus are used in the image forming method.

Abstract: An image forming method, a process cartridge, and an image forming apparatus are provided, with which an electrophotographic image that has superior image quality, superior fixing ability and remains good even in a hot and humid environment is obtainable. The image forming method includes: 0developing, with a developing agent, an electrostatic latent image formed on a surface of a photoreceptor to form a toner, image; transferring the toner image onto an image receiving member to form a transfer image; and fixing the transferred image onto the image receiving member to form an image, wherein the photoreceptor includes a layer that contains a siloxane compound having charge-transferability and a crosslinking structure, with a compound having acid-adsorbing ability being supplied to the surface of the photoreceptor. The process cartridge and the image forming apparatus are used in the image forming method.

Abstract: An apparatus for forming an image is provided that can sufficiently prevent occurrence of nibbled images without any damage of the photoreceptor and the intermediate transfer body, whereby good image quality can be stably obtained for a long period of time. In an apparatus for forming an image having an intermediate transfer body, the surface of the photoreceptor has a dynamic hardness of 8×109 N/m2 or more, and the surface of the intermediate transfer body has a dynamic hardness larger than that of the surface of the photoreceptor, and a difference between the dynamic hardness of the surface of the photoreceptor and the dynamic hardness of the surface of the intermediate transfer material is 2×1010 N/m2 or less.

Abstract: A photosensitive drum unit for an electrophotographic apparatus, of the type of contacting a cleaning blade to the photosensitive drum is disclosed, in which a cleaning assistant composed of a lubricant capable of lowering the frictionally charged potential of the photosensitive drum caused by the friction of the photosensitive drum and the cleaning blade to not higher than 100 V is attached to the surface of the photosensitive drum, the cleaning blade or both.

Abstract: A method for determining a termination time of the step of dispersing a coating composition for a photosensitive layer, containing a binder resin, a powdery charge generating material and a solvent, is disclosed, which comprises (i) providing coating (I) on a substrate by coating the coating composition, following by drying, (ii) providing coating (II) on a substrate by dispersing the coating composition using a dispersion medium to fine the powdery charge generating material, followed by drying, (iii) measuring absorbances of coating (I) at two wavelengths within a short wavelength region and a long wavelength region, respectively, of the spectral absorption wavelength of the charge generating material, (iv) measuring absorbances of coating (II) at the two wavelengthes within the short wavelength region and the long wavelength region, respectively, and (v) calculating spectral absorbance ratios of coatings (I) and (II), respectively, from the following equation: ##EQU1## wherein the dispersing of the coating

Abstract: An electrophotographic photoreceptor comprising a conductive substrate having thereon a photosensitive layer as the uppermost layer, in which the photosensitive layer contains two charge transporting materials different in ionization potential, a charge transporting material having a higher ionization potential is present in the amount equimolar to or in an amount less than the equimolar amount to the other charge transporting material having a lower ionization potential.

Abstract: A novel electrophotographic photoreceptor is disclosed, comprising an undercoating layer provided on an electrically conductive substrate having thereon a light-sensitive layer, wherein the undercoating layer is obtained by coating a solution of a composition comprising zirconium and silicon or a solution of a mixture of a zirconium acetyl acetonate compound and a silane coupling agent, the silicon content in the composition comprising zirconium and silicon is in the range of 5 to 35 mol % based on the total amount of zirconium and silicon, and the hardened undercoating layer obtained from the zirconium acetyl acetonate compound and silane coupling agent is a layer having a hardening degree of 1.2 or less.