Image forming apparatus, image forming method and process cartridge

Abstract

An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member, a charging device, an irradiating device, a developing device, a transfer device, a fixing device, and a cleaning device, wherein the image bearing member includes a substrate on which a photosensitive layer and a cross-linked surface layer are accumulated and the cross-linked surface layer comprises a cross-linked material formed by curing a monomer having at least three radical polymerizable function groups without a charge transport structure and a radical polymerizable compound having a charge transport structure by a photo-energy irradiation device, wherein the toner has a volume average particle diameter of from 1 to 5 μm and an average circularity of from 0.95 to 0.98, wherein external additives added to the toner satisfy the following relationship: 1<3X/5+Y<3, wherein X represents the amount of an external additive having a primary particle diameter of from 10 to 20 nm and Y represents the amount of another external additive having an primary particle diameter of from 100 to 200 nm and X and Y satisfy the following relationship: X<Y, 0<X≦1 and 1≦Y, and wherein the cleaning device includes a cleaning blade made of a polyurethane rubber plate having a hardness of from 70 to 80°, and a rebound resilience of from 10 to 35% at 25° C.