Method and apparatus for image forming capable of using minuscule spherical particles of toner, a process cartridge in use for the apparatus and a toner used in the image forming for obtaining an image with a high thin line reproducibility

摘要

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member configured to bear a toner image on a surface thereof. A charging mechanism is configured to uniformly charge the surface of the image bearing member. An intermediate transfer mechanism is configured to transfer the toner image from the image bearing member onto an image receiver. A cleaning mechanism is configured to clean the surface of the image bearing member after the toner image is transferred onto the image receiver. A lubricant supplying mechanism is configured to supply a lubricant contained therein onto the surface of the image bearing member and form a thin layer using a lubricating blade. The lubricant supplying mechanism is disposed between the cleaning mechanism and the charging mechanism.