Abstract: A developing device constituted to be capable of reliably making toner flare, and carrying out developing normally in the developing area, by preventing toner from adhering to the toner carrier. A developing device having a toner carrier which is disposed in opposition to a latent image carrier and which carries toner for developing an electrostatic latent image on the latent image carrier, the developing device including: a plurality of electrodes aligned at a predetermined interval within the toner carrier; voltage application means for applying a voltage to the electrodes so that the electric field between the plurality of electrodes varies with time, wherein the electric field between the electrodes causes the toner on the toner carrier to hop and form a cloud; and a toner adhesion prevention member that is provided upstream of a developing area where the latent image carrier is in opposition to the toner carrier and that prevents adhesion of toner to the toner carrier.

Abstract: A development unit includes a toner carrying device, a regulating member, and a toner leak protection member. The toner carrying device having a first electrode and a second electrode arrayed with an interval. The first and second electrodes are supplied with a given voltage to set an electric field, changing in a time cycle, between the first and second electrodes. The electric field is used to hop toner over the toner carrying device to form a toner cloud for developing a latent image. The regulating member regulates an amount of toner on the toner carrying device. The toner leak protection member, made from a conductive material, prevents leakage of toner, and is supplied with a bias voltage.

Abstract: An embodiment may be an image forming method, which comprises forming a latent image on an image carrier; developing the latent image with a toner to form a toner image on the image carrier; transferring the toner image; and applying ultrasonic vibration at one of the developing step and the transferring step. The toner comprises a resin particle and a release agent particle having a melting point in a range of 40 to 75° C. and the toner has Dp50 of 3.0 to 5.0 ?m.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus and a method for forming an image that are capable of controlling the consumption of opposite polarity particles and suppressing the reduction of toner charge amount due to the carrier deterioration and can form high quality images over a long period of time even in the case where large quantities of images with small image area ratio are printed. The image forming device includes a developer further including the opposite polarity particles, a developer carrying member, a toner carrying member, and a voltage applying section for applying bias voltage overlapped with alternating current between the toner carrying member and the image carrying member, wherein the bias voltage overlapped with alternating current is a vibrating waveform including a trapezoidal wave, or a vibrating waveform in which a blank is inserted during application of a reverse development side voltage component.