An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member about a rotational axis extending in the axial direction, a charging member, an accommodating portion accommodating toner charged to a predetermined polarity; a developing member, a transfer portion, a static eliminating portion, and a collecting member. In the axial direction, when A is a eliminating width with which the eliminating portion discharges the surface of the image bearing member, B is an effective charging width with which the charging member charges the surface, and C is a collection contacting width with which the collecting member contacts the surface, the formula A < B < C is satisfied. In the axial direction, a surface potential of the surface in an area outside the effective charging width, inside the collection contacting width and in contact with the collecting member is a first potential larger than 0 V in the same polarity direction as the predetermined polarity.

An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier and a charge removing portion. An electrostatic latent image is formed on the image carrier. The charge removing portion includes: a light source configured to emit light to be used for removing charge from the image carrier; a light concentrating portion configured to concentrate the light emitted from the light source on a surface of the image carrier; and a light source supporting portion formed integrally with the light concentrating portion and supporting the light source at a supporting position in which the light source and the light concentrating portion have a predetermined positional relationship.

An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member, a charging member, an exposing device, a developing device, a transfer member, a brush, a voltage applying portion, and a control portion controlling a surface potential of the photosensitive member at the brush contacting position. When a value of subtracting a value of the surface potential of the photosensitive member in the brush contacting position from a value of the brush voltage is defined as a contacting position potential difference, the control portion controls the surface potential of the photosensitive member in the brush contacting position so that the contacting position potential difference is changed from a first potential difference to a second potential difference in a predetermined direction which is either one of an increasing direction or a decreasing direction, and then the contacting position potential difference is changed from the second potential difference to a third potential difference in the predetermined direction.

An image forming apparatus includes a transfer belt rotating in a rotational direction, photosensitive drums, primary transferring parts, static eliminating parts and cleaning parts. The static eliminating part is arranged between the primary transferring part and the cleaning part, and includes a light guide body and a light source arranged at one end side of the light guide body. The static eliminating part irradiates upstream and downstream sides from the light guide body in the rotational direction with the static eliminating light. The image forming apparatus comprises a first light shading part and/or a second light shading part. The first/second light shading part is arranged between the photosensitive drum at a downstream/upstream side from the light guide body in the rotational direction and the light guide body to adjust pre-transfer/post-transfer static eliminating light quantity from the light guide body to the downstream/upstream side photosensitive drum.

An image forming apparatus includes a photoconductor and an electricity removing member electrically grounded and disposed to be in contact with a surface of the photoconductor. In the image forming apparatus, with regard to a capacitance component of an inner impedance of the electricity removing member and a capacitance component of a contact impedance of the electricity removing member that are calculated from a Cole-Cole plot obtained from measurement by an AC impedance method in a predetermined frequency range, a value obtained by dividing the capacitance component of the contact impedance by the capacitance component of the inner impedance is equal to or lower than a predetermined first specific value, and the capacitance component of the inner impedance is equal to or lower than a predetermined second specific value.

An image forming apparatus (1) includes photosensitive drums (41y, 41c, 41m, and 41k), static eliminators (45y, 45c, 45m, and 45k), transfer rollers (54y, 54c, 54m, and 54k), a power source (55a) for transfer, and load resistors (47y, 47c, 47m, and 47k). The static eliminators (45y, 45c, and 45m) perform static elimination on adjacently upstream or downstream photosensitive drums (41y, 41c, 41m, and 41k) in a movement direction of a transfer target. The transfer rollers (54y, 54c, 54m, and 54k) are disposed opposite to the respective photosensitive drums (41y, 41c, 41m, and 41k). The power source (55a) for transfer applies potential to the transfer rollers (54y, 54c, 54m, and 54k). The load resistors (57y, 57c, 57m, and 57k) are respectively connected in parallel to one another and in series between the power source (55a) for transfer and the respective transfer rollers (54y, 54c, 54m, and 54k).

A discharging member includes an electrically conductive knit fabric, a support member, and a first magnet member. The conductive knit fabric is knitted into a cylindrical shape with use of yarn formed by twisting together a plurality of metal fibers. The support member is cylindrical shaped and inserted in the conductive knit fabric. The first magnet member is placed inside the support member. With the conductive knit fabric grounded or with a voltage applied to the conductive knit fabric, the discharging member is placed in noncontact with a discharged member in such a fashion that the first magnet member is opposed to the discharged member with the support member and the conductive knit fabric interposed therebetween.

An image forming apparatus includes a rotatably supported photosensitive drum, a charging roller configured to charge the photosensitive drum, a developing sleeve configured to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on a surface of the photosensitive drum and collect toner adhered to the photosensitive drum, an electricity removal sheet disposed on a downstream from the charging roller in a direction of movement on a surface of the photosensitive drum and disposed on an upstream side from the developing sleeve and arranged in contact with the photosensitive drum, and an electricity removal high-voltage power supply configured to apply voltage to the electricity removal sheet. The electricity removal high-voltage power supply an image-forming period applies a DC bias having a polarity identical to a charging polarity of the photosensitive drum and having a lower absolute value than that of the charged potential of the photosensitive drum to electricity removal sheet.

A discharge member includes an electro conductive knit fabric and a support member. The electro conductive knit fabric is knitted in a cylindrical shape using twisted yarn made of twisted metal fibers. The support member is cylindrical and is inserted in the electro conductive knit fabric. The discharge member is disposed to face a member to be discharged in a noncontact manner, in a state where the electro conductive knit fabric is grounded or a voltage is applied to the electro conductive knit fabric.

An image forming apparatus includes: an image holding section that includes a photoconductor having a surface protection layer; a charging section that charges a surface of the image holding section with a direct current potential; an exposure section that exposes the surface of the image holding section charged by the charging section to form an electrostatic latent image; a developing section that develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the image holding section; a transfer section that electrostatically transfers a visible image formed on the image holding section to a transfer medium; an exposure static elimination section that eliminates a residual charge of the image holding section by using the exposure section when image formation on the image holding section is stopped; a transfer static elimination section that eliminates the residual charge of the image holding section by using at least the transfer section when the image formation on the image holding section is stopped; and a switching section that causes the exposure static elimination section to perform static elimination under a condition that the residual charge of the image holding section does not exceed a threshold value of an allowable static elimination level at which the residual charge is eliminated by the exposure static elimination section, and causes the transfer static elimination section instead of the exposure static elimination section to perform static elimination under a condition that the residual charge exceeds the threshold value.