An image forming method includes forming an electrostatic latent image on an electrostatic latent image bearer, developing the electrostatic image with a toner to form a visible image, transferring the visible image onto a recording medium, and fixing the transferred visible image on the recording medium. The toner includes toner base particles each including a binder resin, a release agent, and particles of an inorganic antibacterial antiviral agent, and satisfies conditions (1) to (3) below. The image forming method satisfies a relationship of 2.0X (micrometers)?Z?2.5X (micrometers). Conditions (1) the number average particle diameter X of the particles of the inorganic antibacterial antiviral agent is 1.5 (micrometers)?X?2.5 (micrometers), (2) 3X (micrometers)?Y?4X (micrometers), and (3) an amount of the inorganic antibacterial antiviral agent in the toner is 2.8% by mass or greater, but 5.0% by mass or less.

An image forming apparatus includes a formation unit configured to form an image by using a plurality of cartridges that are detachable from the image forming apparatus, each cartridge having a storage unit and a member for forming the image; and a control unit configured to set an image forming condition for image formation. The control unit reads identification information from each storage unit of at least two cartridges out of the plurality of cartridges, the identification information indicating a version of a corresponding cartridge, and the control unit sets the image forming condition based on a combination of versions of the at least two cartridges.

An image forming apparatus includes a main body, endless belt, photosensitive drums, setting unit, contacting/separating mechanism, transmitting mechanism, and coupling members. The photosensitive drums are disposed in confrontation with the endless belt and are arranged in a first direction. Each photosensitive drum has an axis extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The setting unit sets the image forming apparatus to a monochrome mode or color mode. The contacting/separating mechanism controls at least one photosensitive drum to contact or separate from the endless in accordance with the set mode. The transmitting mechanism selectively transmits drive power to photosensitive drums. Each coupling member is selectively coupled to the corresponding photosensitive drum and has a coupling axis extending in the second direction. Each coupling member is uncoupled from the corresponding photosensitive drum when the contacting/separating mechanism controls the corresponding photosensitive drum to separate from the endless belt.

A method of converting a standard toner printer to a security toner printer, comprising the steps: providing a standard toner printer; removing one or more of the toner printing cartridges from the standard toner printer, such that at least one printing cartridge position is empty and there is at least one removed toner printing cartridge; providing one or more empty replacement toner printing cartridges; filling at least one of the one or more empty replacement toner printing cartridges with a mixture of a toner and a taggant, such that one or more security replacement toner printing cartridges are created; wherein the taggant is configured to be detected by a security reader; and installing the one or more security replacement toner printing cartridges into the at least one empty printing cartridge position.

A electrophotographic image forming device using an organic photoreceptor, includes a plurality of image forming units each including at least: an electrostatic latent image former; a developer; a lubricant supplier; and a cleaner including a cleaning blade and a cleaning assist brush, wherein at least one combination composed of two adjacent image forming units including toners having different colors satisfies the following formula (1) if a ratio of a circumferential speed of the cleaning assist brush with respect to a circumferential speed of an organic photoreceptor included in an image forming unit A is represented by 1 and a ratio of a circumferential speed of the cleaning assist brush with respect to a circumferential speed of an organic photoreceptor included in an image forming unit B is represented by 2.
[Numerical formula 1]
2>1(1)

Provided is a means in which in a tandem type electrophotographic image forming apparatus, image deletion of a formed image is suppressed, passing through of a toner is suppressed, and the lifetime of an organic photoreceptor and the apparatus itself is prolonged. The invention relates to a tandem type electrophotographic image forming apparatus using an organic photoreceptor in which at least a charge generating layer and a charge transfer layer are sequentially laminated on a conductive support body, in which in at least one of combinations of two adjacent image forming units including toners having colors different from each other, a linear pressure P1 of a cleaning blade A included in the image forming unit disposed on an upstream side, and a linear pressure P2 of a cleaning unit blade B included in the image forming unit disposed on a downstream side, satisfy a predetermined relationship.

A electrophotographic image forming device using an organic photoreceptor, includes a plurality of image forming units each including at least: an electrostatic latent image former; a developer; a lubricant supplier; and a cleaner including a cleaning blade and a cleaning assist brush, wherein at least one combination composed of two adjacent image forming units including toners having different colors satisfies the following formula (1) if a ratio of a circumferential speed of the cleaning assist brush with respect to a circumferential speed of an organic photoreceptor included in an image forming unit A is represented by 1 and a ratio of a circumferential speed of the cleaning assist brush with respect to a circumferential speed of an organic photoreceptor included in an image forming unit B is represented by 2.

[Numerical formula 1]

2>1 (1)

A method of converting a CMYK color toner printer to a CMYX color toner printer for under print printing in a single pass, comprising the steps: providing a color toner printer with four toner printing cartridges: a cyan toner printing cartridge, a magenta toner printing cartridge, a yellow toner printing cartridge, and a black toner printing cartridge; wherein the black toner printing cartridge is in a first toner cartridge position; removing the back toner printing cartridge from the first toner cartridge position; providing a non-standard toner printing cartridge; installing the non-standard toner printing cartridge into the first toner cartridge position; providing a raster image processor software; wherein the raster image processor software is configured to remap the four toner printing cartridges of the color toner printer and allows the color toner printer to print a layer of non-standard toner under an image in a single pass; and wherein the image is printed from at least one of a cyan toner, a yellow toner, and a magenta toner.

A method of converting a standard CMYK color toner printer to a CMYK or CMYW sublimation color toner printer. Providing a standard CMYK color toner printer, comprising four toner printing cartridges: a cyan toner printing cartridge, a magenta toner printing cartridge, a yellow toner printing cartridge, and a black toner printing cartridge. Removing the four toner printing cartridges, such that four empty toner cartridge slots are created. Providing four sublimation toner printing cartridges: a cyan sublimation toner printing cartridge, a magenta sublimation toner printing cartridge, a yellow sublimation toner printing cartridge, and a black sublimation toner printing cartridge, or a white sublimation toner printer cartridge. Installing the four sublimation toner printing cartridges into the four empty toner cartridge slots.

In an image forming apparatus, a process frame is movable into and out of a main casing in a first direction. The process frame includes a first wall and a second wall spaced apart from the first wall in a second direction. A first cartridge is detachably mountable to the process frame in a third direction crossing the second direction. A first electrode protrudes from an outer surface of the first cartridge outwardly in the second direction. In a state where the first cartridge is mounted to the process frame, the first cartridge is positioned between the first wall and second wall of the process frame in the second direction and a portion of the first wall aligns with the first electrode in the third direction such that the portion of the first wall is overlapped with the first electrode as viewed in the third direction.