A toner conveying device includes a conveying screw and a swinging member. The conveying screw includes a shaft portion and a screw portion spirally wound around the shaft portion. The swinging member has a substantially comb shape and swings between the shaft portion and the screw portion with rotation of the conveying screw, and includes a plurality of overhanging portions arranged side by side at intervals in an axial direction of the conveying screw and a plurality of tip portions, each one of which is bent at a predetermined angle from a free end side of a corresponding one of the plurality of overhanging portions in a direction away from the shaft portion. A width of each one of the plurality of tip portions gradually increases at least from a portion to contact the screw portion toward a free end side of each one of the plurality of tip portions.

An image forming apparatus includes a first image forming portion, a second image forming portion, a belt, a charging voltage applying portion, and a transfer voltage applying portion. With respect to a movement direction of a recording material, the first image forming portion is provided upstream of the second image forming portion. In an image forming operation, a potential difference between a first transfer voltage and a potential at a first transfer portion, which is formed on a first image bearing member and does not form the image, is greater than a potential difference between a second transfer voltage and a potential at a second transfer portion, which is formed on a second image bearing member and does not form an image.

An image formation apparatus includes: an image carrier; a developing device which develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier as a toner image; a transfer device which transfers the toner image to a medium; a cleaning device which recovers toner remaining on the image carrier after the toner image is transferred; and a lubricant application adjustment mechanism which applies a lubricant on the image carrier and recovers toner present on the image carrier upstream of the cleaning device; and a controller which controls the lubricant application adjustment mechanism. The controller causes the lubricant application adjustment mechanism to recover more toner when the toner image formed on the image carrier has a larger image area ratio.

A cleaning device of the disclosure includes a housing, a cleaning member, a cleaning blade, a seal member, a discharge screw, and a first film member as well as a second film member. In the housing, a waste toner containing part is formed. The discharge screw is placed in the waste toner containing part. The first film member and the second film member are reciprocatively moved in a radial direction of the rotating shaft. The first film member is so positioned as to be inclined constantly downward as it becomes farther and farther from the seal member. A second end portion of the second film member is placed between the discharge screw and the seal member.

An accumulation removal device includes a cleaning blade, a fluid supply device, and an instruction device. The cleaning blade is disposed so as to be in contact with a surface of an image holding member and cleans the surface of the image holding member after an image forming process has been performed. The fluid supply device supplies a fluid which contains solid particles to a position where the cleaning blade is disposed. The instruction device issues an instruction to cause the fluid supply device to supply the fluid at predetermined timing.

An image forming apparatus includes a potential applier, a cleaning device and a hardware processor. The cleaning device includes an abutting member abutting a surface of the image carrier and removes residual toner on the surface of the image carrier by means of the abutting member after a toner image formed on the surface of the image carrier is transferred to a transfer material. In a cleaning mode for removing a foreign matter attached to the abutting member of the cleaning device, the hardware processor controls the potential applier to alternately apply a first potential and a second potential which is lower than the first potential to the image carrier so as to periodically change a potential of the abutting member without causing saturation.

An example cleaning station for a liquid electrophotographic printer is described. The cleaning station has a first cleaning member, a second cleaning member, and a biasing member. The cleaning station is configured to move between a first position and a second position with respect to a photo imaging member of the printer. In the first position, the first cleaning member is arranged to remove particles from the photo imaging member of the printer and the second cleaning member is arranged to apply a force to a layer of liquid applied to the photo imaging member. In the second position, the biasing member is configured to cause the second cleaning member to contact the first cleaning member to clean the second cleaning member.

An image forming apparatus includes a first image forming portion, a second image forming portion, a belt, a charging voltage applying portion, and a transfer voltage applying portion. With respect to a movement direction of the recording material, the first image forming portion is provided upstream of the second image forming portion. In an image forming operation, a potential difference between the first transfer voltage and a potential, at the first transfer portion, which is formed on the first image bearing member and does not form the image is larger than a potential difference between the second transfer voltage and a potential, at the second transfer portion, which is formed on the second image bearing member and does not form the image.

An image carrier unit includes an image carrier including a cylindrical main body portion and a pair of flange portions attached to both ends of the main body portion, a first cleaning member that rotates in contact under a prescribed pressure with an outer circumferential surface of the main body portion, a unit frame that rotatably supports the image carrier and the first cleaning member, and an image carrier protective cover that includes a cover main body extending in an axial direction of the image carrier and a side surface portion that is disposed on one end side of the cover main body. On the side surface portion, an image carrier holding portion is formed that performs positioning of the image carrier with respect to the unit frame and releases a pressure contact state between the image carrier and the first cleaning member.

An image carrier unit includes an image carrier including a cylindrical main body portion and a pair of flange portions attached to both ends of the main body portion, a first cleaning member that rotates in contact under a prescribed pressure with an outer circumferential surface of the main body portion, a unit frame that rotatably supports the image carrier and the first cleaning member, and an image carrier protective cover that includes a cover main body extending in an axial direction of the image carrier and a side surface portion that is disposed on one end side of the cover main body. On the side surface portion, an image carrier holding portion is formed that performs positioning of the image carrier with respect to the unit frame and releases a pressure contact state between the image carrier and the first cleaning member.