An electrophotographic apparatus comprising an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a charging device and a developing device, wherein the charging device comprises a conductive member arranged to be capable of contacting the electrophotographic photosensitive member, the conductive layer at the outer surface of the conductive member comprises a matrix and a plurality of domains dispersed in the matrix, at least some of the domains are exposed at the outer surface of the conductive member, the matrix has a volume resistivity R1 of larger than 1.0010.sup.12 .Math.cm, the volume resistivity R1 of the matrix is 1.010.sup.5 times or more a volume resistivity R2 of the domains, the developing device comprises the toner comprising a toner particle and a silica fine particle, and a coverage ratio of the toner surface with the silica fine particles is from 62.0% by area to 100.0% by area as determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a developing member, a controller configured to carry out switching control between a first state in which the developing member is caused to act on the image bearing member and a second state in which the developing member is not caused to act on the image bearing member, a transfer member, and a detector configured to read density information of the recording material. The controller detects a fog density on the basis of a difference intensity information between a fog non-occurrence region of a non-image region of the recording material in the second state and a fog occurable region of the non-image region of the recording material in the first state.

An image forming apparatus includes: a photosensitive drum; a developing roller; a separation mechanism for moving the developing roller between a contacting position contacting the photosensitive drum and a separated position separated from the photosensitive drum; a first tray; a first sheet feed mechanism for feeding a sheet from the first tray toward the photosensitive drum; a first sheet sensor for detecting passage of the sheet at a prescribed position; and a controller configured to perform: when a printing operation is performed onto the sheet fed from the first tray, feeding the sheet in the first tray to the prescribed position and maintain the sheet; moving, on or after the first sheet sensor detects the sheet, the developing roller to the contacting position; and feeding, after a prescribed time period has elapsed since the first sheet sensor detects the sheet, the sheet from the prescribed position toward the photosensitive drum.

A developing device includes a developing roller to rotate in a predetermined direction of rotation and opposed to or in contact with an image bearer to form a development range, a cover to cover the developing roller downstream from the development range in the predetermined direction of rotation, a sheet member cantilevered by the cover to contact the developing roller with a flat face of the sheet member while trailing along the predetermined direction of rotation at a position downstream from the development range. The cover includes a large gap portion to form a first gap in a first predetermined range in the predetermined direction of rotation and a small gap portion disposed adjacent to and downstream from the large gap portion in the predetermined direction of rotation to form a second gap smaller than the first gap in a second predetermined range in the predetermined direction of rotation.

An electrophotographic member has an electro-conductive substrate, an elastic layer on the substrate and a coating layer on the elastic layer. The elastic layer has an elastic modulus of 0.5 MPa to 3.0 MPa and the coating layer has an elastic modulus of 5.0 MPa to 100.0 MPa as measured in an environment of a temperature of 30 C. and a relative humidity of 80%.

A transfer device includes a movable component, a moving assembly, a restrictor, and an operating member. The movable component moves toward and away from a latent image bearer unit. The moving assembly causes the movable component to move toward and away from the latent image bearer unit. The restrictor restricts the latent image bearer unit from detaching from an image forming apparatus. The operating member causes the moving assembly to move the movable component away from the latent image bearer unit and releases restriction of detachment of the latent image bearer unit from the image forming apparatus by the restrictor.

Provided is a developing roller comprising an electroconductive substrate and an electroconductive layer thereon, the electroconductive layer retaining resin particles so that at least a part of each of the resin particles is exposed on an outer surface of the developing roller; the outer surface of the developing roller constituted by electrically insulating domains and an electroconductive matrix, assuming that a square region 200-m in a side is put on the outer surface of the developing roller, the square region including the domains, among the domains in the square region at least two of them satisfying specific condition, and assuming that the outer surface of the developing roller is charged, and creating a potential map of the charged outer surface of the developing member, the two domains satisfying the specific condition being ascertained in the potential map.

Provided is a developing roller comprising an electroconductive substrate and an electroconductive layer thereon, the electroconductive layer retaining resin particles so that at least a part of each of the resin particles is exposed on an outer surface of the developing roller; the outer surface of the developing roller constituted by electrically insulating domains and an electroconductive matrix, assuming that a square region 200-m in a side is put on the outer surface of the developing roller, the square region including the domains, among the domains in the square region at least two of them satisfying specific condition, and assuming that the outer surface of the developing roller is charged, and creating a potential map of the charged outer surface of the developing member, the two domains satisfying the specific condition being ascertained in the potential map.

A toner including polyester, wherein an amount of heat of a peak derived from the polyester in a range of from 40 C. through 70 C. during a cooling process is from 1.0 J/g through 15 J/g in differential scanning calorimetry performed under conditions below, <measuring conditions> after maintaining the toner at 20 C., heating the toner to 130 C. at 10 C./min (a first heating process), after maintaining the toner at 130 C. for 1 minute, cooling the toner to 50 C. at cooling speed of 10 C./min (the cooling process), and after maintaining the toner at 50 C. for 5 minutes, heating the toner to 130 C. at 10 C./min (a second heating process).

To provide an electrophotographic member causing less change in toner conveyance even used in a high-temperature and high-humidity environment. The electrophotographic member has an electro-conductive substrate, an elastic layer on the substrate and a coating layer on the elastic layer. The elastic layer has a first protrusion on a surface thereof on a side opposite to a side facing the substrate. The electrophotographic member has, on an outer surface thereof, a second protrusion derived from the first protrusion. The outer surface of the electrophotographic member has one or more of electrical insulating first region(s) and an electro-conductive second region. The elastic layer has an elastic modulus of 0.5 MPa or more to 3.0 MPa or less and the coating layer has an elastic modulus of 5.0 MPa or more to 100.0 MPa or less as measured in an environment of a temperature of 30 C. and a relative humidity of 80%.