Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a toner carrier and a toner passing control having a plurality of toner passing holes for controlling passage of a toner. The toner passing control has upstream side secured, the downstream side extended by a spring, and is contacted with a stay on the downstream side of the contact point with the toner carrier, so that corrugation deformation is prevented. A vibrating plate and an ultrasonic vibration generator are coupled through a coupling portion, thereby relative displacement between the vibrating plate and the ultrasonic vibration generator is allowed. A detachable toner cartridge is formed by integrating a developing roller and a toner storing container.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes a toner holding element 10 and a toner passage controller 4 having a plurality of toner passage holes 14, for controlling passage of toner 3. In order to prevent shortage of toner supply from the toner holding element 10 and form a high-quality image at a sufficient image density without producing thin white lines in such an image forming apparatus, the traveling speed of the toner holding element 10 is preset based on the traveling speed of an image receiving means 7 and at least one of the weight per unit area or the length in the scanning direction of the toner 3 that is applied to an image receiving means 7, the weight per unit area of the toner 3 held on the toner holding element 10 or the length of a toner-less region in the main scanning direction, and the number of pixels successively formed at different positions in the main scanning direction through the same toner passage hole 14.

Abstract: An image forming device including a toner holder 10 and a toner passage control device 4 including a plurality of toner passage holes 14 for controlling the passage of a toner 3, wherein a spacer member 22 arranged between the toner holder 10 and the toner passage control device 4 for maintaining the distance therebetween to be substantially constant has a predetermined surface roughness and a predetermined hardness while having a rigidity such that irregularities on the surface of the toner passage control device 4 are not transferred onto a toner layer 3a, so as to prevent the toner layer 3a on the toner holder 10 from being scratched and to form a high-quality image both in an initial stage of a recording operation and in a long-term use.