In an image forming apparatus in which an electrostatic image is formed on an electrophotographic photosensitive member using at least a process of a pseudo halftone formed by dots as a method of representing gradation, the electrophotographic photosensitive member is provided on a surface thereof with a plurality of recessed portions of 0.5 μm more and 5 μm or less in depth and 20 μm or more and 80 μm or less in longest diameter of an opening, when a square region of 500 μm×500 μm is arbitrarily extracted on the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member, in the square region, a total area of the recessed portions is 10000 μm.sup.2 or more and 90000 μm.sup.2 or less and a total area of a flat portion contained in a portion other than the recessed portion is 80000 μm.sup.2 or more and 240000 μm.sup.2 or less, and an arrangement (A) of the plurality of recessed portions is such an arrangement that an image quality lowering index (f) calculated by specific processing is 14% or less.

In an image forming apparatus in which an electrostatic image is formed on an electrophotographic photosensitive member using at least a process of a pseudo halftone formed by dots as a method of representing gradation, the electrophotographic photosensitive member is provided on a surface thereof with a plurality of recessed portions of 0.5 μm more and 5 μm or less in depth and 20 μm or more and 80 μm or less in longest diameter of an opening, when a square region of 500 μm×500 μm is arbitrarily extracted on the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member, in the square region, a total area of the recessed portions is 10000 μm.sup.2 or more and 90000 μm.sup.2 or less and a total area of a flat portion contained in a portion other than the recessed portion is 80000 μm.sup.2 or more and 240000 μm.sup.2 or less, and an arrangement (A) of the plurality of recessed portions is such an arrangement that an image quality lowering index (f) calculated by specific processing is 14% or less.

A compound has a structure represented by the following formula (C1): ##STR00001##
wherein R.sub.a1, R.sub.a2, R.sub.a3, R.sub.a41, R.sub.a42, R.sub.a43, R.sub.a44, R.sub.a45, R.sub.a5, R.sub.a6, R.sub.a7, R.sub.a8, R.sub.a9, R.sub.a10, and R.sub.a11 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkenyl group, an alkynyl group, an alkoxy group, an aralkyl group, an aryl group, a cyano group, a halogen atom, or a group obtained by combining two or more of the above groups, and a combination of R.sub.a1 and R.sub.a2, R.sub.a41 and R.sub.a42, R.sub.a42 and R.sub.a43, R.sub.a43 and R.sub.a44, R.sub.a44 and R.sub.a45, R.sub.a5 and R.sub.a6, R.sub.a8 and R.sub.a9, or R.sub.a10 and R.sub.a11 each independently may form a ring.

A support, a conductive layer, and an intermediate layer of an electrophotographic photosensitive member have a particular surface profile. The intermediate layer is a cured film containing particles.

An electrophotographic photoreceptor includes a conductive substrate and a photosensitive layer, wherein an outermost layer contains a compound having a structure represented by general formula (I) below:

##STR00001## where R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 each independently represent a C.sub.1-12 alkyl group or a C.sub.5-12 cycloalkyl group; R.sub.3 represents a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a substituted or unsubstituted C.sub.1-6 alkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C.sub.1-6 alkoxyl group, a C.sub.6-20 aryl group or a heterocycle group; X and Z each represent a single bond or a C.sub.1-6 alkylene group which may be substituted; and Y represents a OCO group or COO group. A method for manufacturing the photoreceptor and an electrophotographic device including the photoreceptor are additionally provided. The electrophotographic photoreceptor provides sufficient stain resistance and is less affected by temperature and humidity environments while maintaining various advantageous characteristics of photoreceptors.

An electrophotographic photoreceptor includes a conductive substrate and a photosensitive layer, wherein an outermost layer contains a compound having a structure represented by general formula (I) below:

##STR00001## where R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 each independently represent a C.sub.1-12 alkyl group or a C.sub.5-12 cycloalkyl group; R.sub.3 represents a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a substituted or unsubstituted C.sub.1-6 alkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C.sub.1-6 alkoxyl group, a C.sub.6-20 aryl group or a heterocycle group; X and Z each represent a single bond or a C.sub.1-6 alkylene group which may be substituted; and Y represents a OCO group or COO group. A method for manufacturing the photoreceptor and an electrophotographic device including the photoreceptor are additionally provided. The electrophotographic photoreceptor provides sufficient stain resistance and is less affected by temperature and humidity environments while maintaining various advantageous characteristics of photoreceptors.

The present invention provides an electrophotographic member in which an increase in resistance is small even in use at low temperature and which contributes to the formation of a high quality electrophotographic image, and a process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus using this electrophotographic member as a charging member or a developer carrying member. Therefore, the electrophotographic member of the present invention is an electrophotographic member including an electro-conductive mandrel and an electro-conductive layer, wherein the electro-conductive layer includes a urethane resin and an ion-conductive agent, the urethane resin has, between two adjacent urethane bonds, a structure represented by formula (1) and at least one structure selected from the group consisting of a structure represented by formula (2) and a structure represented by formula (3), and the ion-conductive agent contains a particular anion.

The electrophotographic photosensitive member has: a cylindrical support; a charge generating layer formed on the cylindrical support; and a charge transport layer formed on the charge generating layer, the charge generating layer contains a hydroxygallium phthalocyanine crystal having a particular CuKα characteristic X-ray diffraction peak, a titanyl phthalocyanine crystal having a particular CuKα characteristic X-ray diffraction peak or a chlorogallium phthalocyanine crystal having a particular spectral absorption spectrum as a charge generating material, and in the charge generating layer, with respect to the film thickness of the charge generating layer, when a region from the central position of an image forming area to the end position of the image forming area is divided in the axial direction of the cylindrical support into five equal regions and the average film thickness of the charge generating layer in each region satisfies a specific condition.

The present invention provides an electrophotographic photosensitive member including a support, and a photosensitive layer on the support. The photosensitive layer has a charge generating layer containing a charge generating material and a charge transporting layer containing a charge transporting material, in this order. The charge transporting layer contains (α) a specific polycarbonate resin or a specific polyester resin, (β) the charge transporting material, (γ) a methoxybenzene, and (δ) a methoxybenzene, a methoxycyclohexane or a methylhexanol having a substituent. The content Wδ of the (δ) is 0.001% by mass or more and 1% by mass or less based on the total mass of the charge transporting layer.

Shaping a photoconductive drum includes preparing a dispersion having a charge generation composition and dipping an elongated support element into the dispersion. Withdrawing from the dispersion portions of the support element at different speeds results in different thicknesses of charge generation composition on the support element. Faster withdrawal results in thicker charge generation composition than does slower withdrawal. Portions with thicker composition provide denser optical densities compared to thinner composition allowing tailoring the photoconductive drum to compensate for imperfect optical scanning systems. Coating the support element with a charge transport layer occurs next, then curing. Oxidation of the support element may occur prior to application of the charge generation composition. A protective overcoat may also exist over the charge transport layer.