An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier that carries a toner image on a surface thereof while rotating, from which the toner image is transferred to a transfer member; a scraper that comes into contact with an area of the surface of the image carrier from which the toner image has been transferred and that scrapes residue off the image carrier; and a flattening device that flattens a pile of residue that has been scraped off by the scraper and has accumulated.

An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a transfer material in an image forming mode, includes: a photoreceptor rotatable in a predetermined rotation direction; a developer that forms a toner image on the photoreceptor using a two-component developing agent including toner and a carrier; a transferor that transfers the toner image on the photoreceptor onto the transfer material; a carrier collector that applies an electric field corresponding to a collecting bias to a carrier adhering to the photoreceptor to collect the carrier; a carrier detector that detects a carrier remaining on the photoreceptor after collecting the carrier by the carrier collector; and a hardware processor that sets the collecting bias in the image forming mode on the basis of the amount of carriers detected by the carrier detector when a carrier adhesion detecting mode for forcibly causing a carrier to adhere to the photoreceptor is executed.

Examples of refreshing a photoconductive layer in an image forming apparatus are described. In one example, a method comprises performing a first refreshing cycle comprising applying, at a first refresh unit, a first refresh voltage to the photoconductive layer and applying, at a second refresh unit, a second refresh voltage to the photoconductive layer. A second refreshing cycle is performed comprising applying, at the first refresh unit, a third refresh voltage to the photoconductive layer, the third refresh voltage being higher than the first refresh voltage and higher than the second refresh voltage. Each of the first and second refreshing cycles electrically bias the photoconductive layer to a refresh polarity opposite to a print polarity applied during a print routine of the image forming apparatus.

An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable photosensitive member, a charging member, a developing device, a blade, a detecting portion, and a controller. The controller causes the photosensitive member to rotate through one full circumference or more on the following conditions during a predetermined operation: (i) a voltage which is a discharge start voltage or more is applied to the charging member, and (ii) an operation condition of the developing device is a first condition on which an amount of fog toner deposited from the developer carrying member on the photosensitive member is less than an amount of the fog toner in a second condition which is an operation condition of the developing device during a sheet interval before the image formation during the continuous image formation is interrupted.

The image forming apparatus includes a control unit that executes a supply operation to supply a toner charged with a regular charge polarity, to at least one abutting portion of a plurality of abutting portions, at the time of image non-formation, the plurality of abutting portions being formed by a plurality of cleaning members and a plurality of image bearing members, the control unit determining an image bearing member to which the most amount of the toner charged with the regular charge polarity is supplied, based on image formation information, the image formation information being information about an image formation executed before the supply operation is executed.

Examples of refreshing a photoconductive layer in an image forming apparatus are described. In one example, a method includes performing a first refreshing cycle comprising applying, at a first refresh unit, a first refresh voltage to the photoconductive layer and applying, at a second refresh unit, a second refresh voltage to the photoconductive layer. A second refreshing cycle is performed including applying, at the first refresh unit, a third refresh voltage to the photoconductive layer, the third refresh voltage being higher than the first refresh voltage and higher than the second refresh voltage. Each of the first and second refreshing cycles electrically bias the photoconductive layer to a refresh polarity opposite to a print polarity applied during a print routine of the image forming apparatus.

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member to form a toner image on a recording material with a liquid developer containing a toner and a carrier liquid, wherein the carrier liquid contains a first substance, charged to an opposite polarity to a charge polarity of the toner, for imparting an electrical polarity to the toner, and a second substance, higher in volume resistivity than the first substance, a cleaning portion to collect the liquid developer remaining on the image bearing member after the toner image is transferred onto the recording material, a toner separating device to separate the collected liquid developer into the toner and the carrier liquid, and a carrier separating device to separate the carrier liquid into the carrier liquid containing the first substance and the carrier liquid containing the second substance by applying an electric field to the carrier liquid.

A system and method for removing residual toner and submicron particles from a photoconductive drum of a toner-based printer includes an electrified cleaner blade that electrostatically attracts residual toner and submicron particles from the photoconductive drum as the photoconductive drum is rotated towards the electrified cleaner blade. An electrostatic charge unit can be configured to apply a suitable electric charge of between 500 VDC and 2000 VDC to the electrified cleaner blade. Particles lodged on the electrified cleaner blade can be electrostatically dislodged by temporarily reversing the voltage applied to the electrified cleaner blade. Cycling the voltage applied to the electrified cleaner blade between a positive voltage and a negative voltage is used to improve the action of electrostatically dislodging particles lodged on the electrified cleaner blade. The electrified cleaner blade can apply an initial charge to the photoconductive drum.

There is provided an image forming apparatus including: an intermediate transfer belt; a photosensitive drum; a primary transfer member; a secondary transfer member; a first backup member; a first power supply electrically connected to the primary transfer member and to the secondary transfer member; and a first resistor electrically connected to the first power supply and to the primary transfer member. A first current route, in which the first resistor, the primary transfer member, and the photosensitive drum are connected in series in that order, is connected to the first power supply and to a basis potential. A second current route, in which the secondary transfer member and the first backup member are connected in series, is connected to the first power supply and to the basis potential. The first current route is connected in parallel to the second current route.

Examples of refreshing a photoconductive layer in an image forming apparatus are described. In one example, a method comprises performing a first refreshing cycle comprising applying, at a first refresh unit, a first refresh voltage to the photoconductive layer and applying, at a second refresh unit, a second refresh voltage to the photoconductive layer. A second refreshing cycle is performed comprising applying, at the first refresh unit, a third refresh voltage to the photoconductive layer, the third refresh voltage being higher than the first refresh voltage and higher than the second refresh voltage. Each of the first and second refreshing cycles electrically bias the photoconductive layer to a refresh polarity opposite to a print polarity applied during a print routine of the image forming apparatus.