A lubricant replacement case for an image forming apparatus includes a housing including a plurality of storage compartments to accommodate at least one lubricant unit. The plurality of storage compartments include at least one storage compartment for unused lubricant to be inserted into the image forming apparatus and at least one storage compartment for used lubricant to be retrieved from the image forming apparatus.

An image forming apparatus includes a latent image bearer, an intermediate transferor, a primary transferor, a second transferor, and a cleaning blade. The latent image bearer has a surface onto which a lubricant comprising zinc stearate is supplied. The intermediate transferor has a surface onto which the toner image is transferred, the surface including an adhering region to which the lubricant from the latent image bearer adheres. The cleaning blade cleans the surface of the intermediate transferor including the adhering region, after the toner image is secondarily transferred. In a region outside at least a horizontal A4 sheet passing width on the intermediate transferor, a ratio of a peak area derived from zinc stearate to a peak area derived from the intermediate transferor in a difference spectrum between attenuated total reflection (ATR) infrared absorption spectrums of the intermediate transferor in an unused state and after use is 0.892 or less.

An image forming apparatus includes a photoconductive body, a light source, a deflector to deflect a light beam from the light source, a scanning optical system to image the deflected light beam onto the photoconductive body, a developing unit to supply developer to the photoconductive body, an optical sensor to detect the deflected light beam, a moving mechanism to move the developing unit to a first position and to a second position, and a controller configured to start driving the deflector, when the developing unit is in the second position, the light source to emit the light beam, thereby obtaining a detection signal of the light beam from the optical sensor, and after obtaining the detection signal of the light beam from the optical sensor, control the moving mechanism to move the developing unit to the first position.

An image forming apparatus includes a photoconductive body, a light source, a deflector to deflect a light beam from the light source, a scanning optical system to image the deflected light beam onto the photoconductive body, a developing unit to supply developer to the photoconductive body, an optical sensor to detect the deflected light beam, a moving mechanism to move the developing unit to a first position and to a second position, and a controller configured to start driving the deflector, when the developing unit is in the second position, the light source to emit the light beam, thereby obtaining a detection signal of the light beam from the optical sensor, and after obtaining the detection signal of the light beam from the optical sensor, control the moving mechanism to move the developing unit to the first position.

An intermediate transfer unit is attached to a position in the main body portion from a front side of the main body portion along the depth direction in a detachable manner. A cover portion extends in the depth direction and along a region of the outer circumferential surface of a rotating image carrying member that is more on a downstream side in a rotation direction of the image carrying member than the top region of the rotating image carrying member that is in contact with the intermediate transfer belt. A shield portion is provided on a portion of an upper surface of the cover portion that is closer to a front surface of the main body portion than the intermediate transfer belt. The shield portion has a taper surface that is inclined diagonally downward from a top surface of the shield portion toward the intermediate transfer belt.

A drum cartridge attachable to and detachable from a main body of an image forming apparatus includes a cleaning frame, a photosensitive drum rotatably supported by the cleaning frame, and an opening provided in the cleaning frame and configured to expose the photosensitive drum. In a factory default state of the drum cartridge, handling caution information is printed in at least part of a region of a surface of the photosensitive drum, the region being exposed from the opening.

A process cartridge and an image forming apparatus are provided. The process cartridge is detachably mountable in an apparatus body of the image forming apparatus, and includes a plurality of photosensitive drums, a first outer side plate which is provided on one side of the photosensitive drums in an axial direction of the photosensitive drum, a second outer side plate which is provided on the other side of the photosensitive drums in the axial direction, and opposes the first outer side plate with the photosensitive drums interposed therebetween, and a plurality of input parts which are provided on ends of the photosensitive drums at the one side, respectively. An end face of each of the input parts being provided inward with respect to the outer surface of the first outer side plate.

In an image forming apparatus, a cleaning blade, disposed on a downstream side of a transfer roller in a rotation direction of an image carrier, removes toner remaining on the image carrier after transfer of a toner image to an intermediate transfer member. After completion of an image forming operation, a controller causes the transfer roller to separate from the intermediate transfer member, cause the developing device to form on the image carrier a toner band to be supplied to the cleaning blade, and cause rotation of the image carrier to stop such that at least a part of the toner band formed on the image carrier stops within a section from a first position facing the transfer roller to a second position facing the cleaning blade in the rotation direction.

A lubricant replacement case for an image forming apparatus includes a housing including a plurality of storage compartments to accommodate at least one lubricant unit. The plurality of storage compartments include at least one storage compartment for unused lubricant to be inserted into the image forming apparatus and at least one storage compartment for used lubricant to be retrieved from the image forming apparatus.

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.