IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING METHOD

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus which eliminates the problem that transfer residual toner accumulates on recovering devices corresponding to photoreceptor drums due to repetition of printing to lower recovering performance and which can be made small in size and low in cost with a very simple configuration.

SOLUTION: The apparatus has: the image carriers; developing means which are provided in correspondence with the image carriers and form development particle images formed from development particles; transfer means which transfer development particle images to an image receiving member; and a recovering means which faces one image carrier A out of the plurality of image carriers during an image forming operation, recovers development particle image remaining on the image carrier A after the transfer, and discharges the recovered development particles to the adjacent image carrier B when the image forming operation is not carried out.

COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO