Image formation method

#1. Field of the Invention

#The present invention relates to an image formation method applicable for electrophotographic apparatuses such as a copying apparatus, a printer, a facsimile and the like which use electrophotographic processes.

#2. Description of the Related Art

#FIG. 1 is one example of an apparatus for carrying out the image formation method of the present invention.

#FIG. 2 is an enlarged figure of one example of a photoreceptor to be employed for the present invention.

#FIG. 3 is an enlarged figure of another example of a photoreceptor to be employed for the present invention.

#Hereinafter, the image formation method of the present invention will be described in details.

#The image formation method of the present invention comprises a latent image-forming step of forming an electrostatic latent image on the surface of a latent image carrier, a developing step of forming a toner image by developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the latent image carrier, a transferring step of forming a transferred image by transferring the toner image formed on the surface of the latent image carrier to the surface of an object recording medium, a fixing step of thermally fixing the toner image transferred on the surface of the object recording medium, and if necessary, a cleaning step of cleaning the toner remaining on the surface of the latent image carrier, wherein the latent image carrier has a surface layer containing a cross-linked resin having charge transporting property and the toner is a toner containing a binder resin of mainly a crystalline resin and a coloring agent. Incidentally, at the time of image formation, both black and white image formation and color image formation may be carried out. Further, the transferring step may be a step of transferring the toner image directly to the object recording medium from the latent image carrier or transferring the toner image once to an intermediate transferring medium (an object transferring medium) from the latent image carrier and then transferring the toner image to the recording medium.

#FIG. 1 shows a schematic constitution of one example of an image forming apparatus for carrying out especially a color image formation method among the image formation methods of the present invention. In the circumference of a photoreceptor (a latent image carrier) 101 which rotates in the direction of the arrow, there installed are a charger 102, a rotary developer 103, a transfer drum 104, a cleaner 105, a prior exposure 106, a potential sensor 108, and the like. The photoreceptor 101 is evenly charged by the charger 102 in the dark. The concentration signals for respective colors, R (red), G (green), and B (blue), supplied from an image input apparatus 110 or the like are converted to concentration signals of respective colors, Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and K (black) by a color conversion treatment circuit 140 and corresponding to the converted concentration signals, exposure of the photoreceptor 101 is carried out by a light beam scanning apparatus 120 to form an electrostatic latent image. The light beam scanning apparatus 120 comprises a semiconductor laser 121, a collimator lens 122, a polygon mirror 123, an image-forming optical system 124, a light beam pulse width modulation (PWM) circuit 130 and the like and scanning of the photoreceptor 101 is carried out by light beam converted to be pulse width signals corresponding to the concentrations by the light beam PWM circuit 130.