Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Kazahiko Watanabe

Hiroshi Nakai

Nozomu Tamoto

Yasuo Suzuki

Nekka Matsuura

Hiroshi Ikuno

Takahiko Tokumasu

Kohichi Ohshima

Noboru Tsukude

An image forming apparatus includes an object to be charged whose surface moves. A charging device for charging the object uses an electrical discharge generated by applying a voltage including an alternating current component to a charging member provided in contact with or in proximity to the object. A latent image forming device forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the object. A developing device causes a two-component developer to come into contact with the image portion of the electrostatic latent image formed by the latent image forming device and affixes toner thereto. A protective substance is present on the surface of the object in the discharge region for charging the object, and the saturation magnetization of the carrier of the two-component developer with respect to an applied magnetic field of 1000 oersted is 40 to 80 emu/g.

Image forming apparatus and process cartridge

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Kazahiko Watanabe