An image forming apparatus that executes an image forming operation for forming a toner image on a recording material and an application operation of applying a metal soap to a surface of an image bearing member by supplying a toner stored in a toner storing unit to the surface of the image bearing member from the developing member. A surficial moving speed of the image bearing member during the application operation is lower than the surficial moving speed of the image bearing member during the image forming operation, and a speed difference between the surficial moving speed of the developing member and the surficial moving speed of the image bearing member during the application operation is larger than that during the image forming operation.

An image forming apparatus is provided that includes: an image bearer; a charger; an irradiator; a developing device containing a toner; and a transfer device. The image bearer has a Martens hardness of from 185 to 250 N/m.sup.2. The toner satisfies a relation 0.13≤X/Dn≤0.16, where X [μm] represents an average value of an amount of deformation of the toner by micro-indentation at when a load reaches 3.00×10.sup.−4 N at a loading rate of 3.0×10.sup.−5 N/sec under an environment of 32 degrees C. and 40% RH, and Dn [μm] represents a number average particle diameter of the toner. The toner contains an external additive comprising silica particles and particles composed mainly of strontium titanate. The particles composed mainly of strontium titanate further contain a third element M selected from the group consisting of La, Mg, Ca, Sn, and Si.

An electrophotographic photoreceptor includes a support, a photosensitive layer, and a protection layer. The protection layer contains a copolymer of a compound having a specific frame and a hole-transporting compound containing a specific polarizable functional group.

An electrophotographic photoreceptor includes a conductive substrate and a photosensitive layer on the conductive substrate. The outermost surface layer of the electrophotographic photoreceptor contains fluorine-containing resin particles, a fluorine graft polymer, and an acidic compound having an acid dissociation constant (pKa) of 3 or less in water at 25° C. The amount of the acidic compound relative to the outermost surface layer is 100 ppm or more and 10000 ppm or less.

An image forming apparatus that executes an image forming operation for forming a toner image on a recording material and an application operation of applying a metal soap to a surface of an image bearing member by supplying a toner stored in a toner storing unit to the surface of the image bearing member from the developing member. A surficial moving speed of the image bearing member during the application operation is lower than the surficial moving speed of the image bearing member during the image forming operation, and a speed difference between the surficial moving speed of the developing member and the surficial moving speed of the image bearing member during the application operation is larger than that during the image forming operation.

An electrophotographic photoreceptor includes a cured outermost layer that includes a polymerized cured product including at least an inorganic filler and a phenol derivative. The inorganic filler is surface-modified with a surface modifier. The phenol derivative has a structure represented by Formula (1).

##STR00001##

In Formula (1), R.sub.1 and R.sub.3 each independently represent an alkyl group having three or more carbon atoms, R.sub.2 and R.sub.4 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, and L.sub.1 represents a linking group having at least 10 atoms with an atomic number of 12 or more.

A method for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member having a photosensitive layer and a protective layer above a support in this order includes: forming a coating film for a protective layer by coating a coating liquid for the protective layer for forming the protective layer on the photosensitive layer and curing the coating film for the protective layer, in which the coating liquid for the protective layer contains a solvent, a compound represented by a general formula (1), a compound represented by a general formula (2), and a compound represented by a general formula (3) at a specific ratio. In addition, in an electrophotographic photosensitive member having a photosensitive layer and a protective layer above a support in this order, the protective layer is obtained by curing a coating liquid for the protective layer.

An image forming apparatus including developing unit to develop electrostatic latent image with toner to form visible image, and cleaning unit including elastic member including surface layer and configured to remove the toner, wherein Martens hardness A and Martens hardness B of the surface layer measured by applying load of 1 N and load of 1,000 N, respectively, to position of the surface layer in thickness direction thereof using nanoindenter are both 2.5 N/mm.sup.2 or greater but 32.5 N/mm.sup.2 or less, and Martens hardness A and Martens hardness B satisfy inequality,
Martens hardness A>Martens hardness B
wherein coefficient of dynamic friction of the surface layer against polycarbonate is 0.5 or less, and the toner includes polyester resin insoluble to THF and Tg of THF-insoluble component of the toner determined from DSC curve of first heating of DSC is 60 C. or higher but 20 C. or lower.

An image forming apparatus includes a photoreceptor photoreceptor having an outermost surface layer that contains polytetrafluoroethylene particles and a dispersant containing fluorine atoms and has a perfluorooctanoic acid content of 25 ppb or less relative to the polytetrafluoroethylene particles; and a transfer device that includes an intermediate transfer body having a surface onto which a toner image is transferred, a first transfer device that performs first transfer that involves transferring the toner image on the surface of the photoreceptor onto the surface of the intermediate transfer body, and a second transfer device that performs second transfer that involves transferring the toner image on the surface of the intermediate transfer body onto a surface of a recording medium, the second transfer device having a second transfer member having a surface with a hexadecane contact angle of 30 degrees or more.

An image forming apparatus is provided that includes: an image bearer; a charger; an irradiator; a developing device containing a toner; and a transfer device. The image bearer has a Martens hardness of from 185 to 250 N/m.sup.2. The toner satisfies a relation 0.13X/Dn0.16, where X [m] represents an average value of an amount of deformation of the toner by micro-indentation at when a load reaches 3.0010.sup.4 N at a loading rate of 3.010.sup.5 N/sec under an environment of 32 degrees C. and 40% RH, and Dn [m] represents a number average particle diameter of the toner. The toner contains an external additive comprising silica particles and particles composed mainly of strontium titanate. The particles composed mainly of strontium titanate further contain a third element M selected from the group consisting of La, Mg, Ca, Sn, and Si.