An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, an intermediate transfer belt, and a contact member. The intermediate transfer belt includes a base layer, a surface layer formed on an outside of the base layer, and an inner surface layer formed on an inner side of the base layer. A position at which the contact member and the intermediate transfer belt contact is arranged on a downstream side of the intermediate transfer belt in a rotation direction of the intermediate transfer belt. Rv>Rs1 and Rs2>Rs1, and Rs2/Rv≤40 are satisfied where Rv(Ω) is a volume resistance value of the intermediate transfer belt in a thickness direction, Rs1(Ω) is a first surface resistance value of the inner surface layer side in a surface direction, and Rs2(Ω) is a second surface resistance value on the surface layer side in a surface direction.

An electrophotographic belt including at least a base layer and a surface layer on or above the base layer, the surface layer including a binder resin and perfluoropolyether (PFPE), having a thickness of 2 μm or more. PFPE is removed to obtain a PFPE-removed surface layer, the PFPE-removed surface layer has pores having openings at an outer surface thereof. When assuming that the PFPE-removed surface layer is a solid-surface layer, a ratio of a total volume of the pores contained in the PFPE-removed surface layer to a volume of the solid-surface layer is 8 to 25%. A ratio of a sum of areas of the openings to a unit area (1 μm.sup.2) of the outer surface of the PFPE-removed surface layer is 10 to 35%, and the number of the openings per unit area (1 μm.sup.2) of the outer surface of the PFPE-removed surface layer is 10 to 500.

An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable photosensitive member, a charging member, an exposure unit, a developing member, a transfer member, and a pre-exposure unit. The pre-exposure unit exposes a surface of the photosensitive member after the toner image is transferred to the recording material and before being charged by the charging member. The pre-exposure unit includes a substrate disposed adjacent to one end of the photosensitive member with respect to a longitudinal direction of the photosensitive member, and in which a first light emitting element and a second light emitting element having directional characteristics narrower than that of the first light emitting element are mounted.

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member that bears a toner image, a transfer unit having an endless belt, a positioning unit that positions the transfer unit, and a secondary transfer member. The secondary transfer member is in touch with the endless belt to form a secondary transfer portion. When the toner image is transferred to the endless belt from the image bearing member, the secondary transfer member transfers the toner image from the endless belt at the secondary transfer portion to a transfer material. The positioning unit includes a first abutting face to position the transfer unit in a conveyance direction and a second abutting face to position the transfer unit in a direction opposite to the conveyance direction. An attaching/detaching direction of the transfer unit is a direction intersecting with a surface of the transfer material to which the toner image is transferred.

In an image forming apparatus including a transfer member that primarily transfers a developer image from an image bearing member onto an intermediate transfer belt by applying an electric current to an intermediate transfer belt in a circumferential direction, a control unit which executes a first mode in which to rotate the intermediate transfer belt and a second mode in which to rotate the intermediate transfer belt at a rotation speed higher than that in the first mode. The control unit performs control such that an absolute value of a second voltage to be applied to the transfer member in a case of performing primary transfer in the second mode is less than an absolute value of a first voltage to be applied to the transfer member in a case of performing the primary transfer in the first mode.

An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive drum and an apparatus main body, the apparatus main body includes a transfer roller exerting a transfer pressing force on the photosensitive drum, a positioning portion positioning the photosensitive drum in first and second directions by being contacted by a bearing portion holding a rotation axis of the photosensitive drum, the first direction being in a virtual plane perpendicular to the rotation axis, and the second direction being a direction intersecting the first direction, and a pressing member exerting a holding-and-pressing force pressing the bearing portion toward the positioning portion, and, in a state in which the bearing portion is in contact with the positioning portion, the holding-and-pressing force has a component force in the first direction, and the transfer pressing force has a component force in the second direction that is oriented to press the bearing portion toward the positioning portion.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a rotatable endless belt, a plurality of stretching rollers including an inner roller and an upstream roller, an outer member, a guiding member, a sheet-like pressing member, and a coating member. The coating member is disposed on the pressing member so as not to contact the belt and is electrically grounded or electrically conducted to the guiding member. The coating member is formed of a material lower in surface resistivity than the pressing member.

An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member, a charging member, a developing member, a transfer member, an exposure unit, and a controller. The controller executes a preparatory operation in which before an image forming operation, rotation of the image bearing member is started and a charging voltage and a developing voltage are increased stepwise. In the preparatory operation, the controller carries out control so as to start application of the charging voltage at a voltage value not less than a discharge start voltage of the charging member before a surface region of the image bearing member positioned in a developing portion at a time of a start of the rotation of the image bearing member reaches a charging portion in a state which a surface of the image bearing member is exposed to light by the exposure unit.

An image forming method is provided. The image forming method includes: forming an electrostatic latent image on an electrostatic latent image bearer; developing the electrostatic latent image on the electrostatic latent image bearer with a toner to form a toner image; transferring the toner image from the electrostatic latent image bearer onto a continuous resin film; fixing the toner image on the continuous resin film with a heat roller or a heat belt. The toner contains a maleic-acid-modified polyolefin having a polypropylene block in a main chain.

An image forming method is provided. The image forming method includes: forming an electrostatic latent image on an electrostatic latent image bearer; developing the electrostatic latent image on the electrostatic latent image bearer with a toner to form a toner image; transferring the toner image from the electrostatic latent image bearer onto a continuous resin film; fixing the toner image on the continuous resin film with a heat roller or a heat belt. The toner contains a maleic-acid-modified polyolefin having a polypropylene block in a main chain.