Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium, the image forming apparatus comprising:

• an image bearing member that bears a developer image;
• a transfer apparatus configured to transfer the developer image borne on the image bearing member;
• a charge apparatus configured to charge a surface of the image bearing member;
• an exposure apparatus configured to expose the surface of the image bearing member with light to form a latent image on the surface of the image bearing member;
• and
• a developing apparatus configured to collect a developer that is not transferred by the transfer apparatus and remains on the image bearing member and also supplies the developer to the latent image formed on the surface of the image bearing member to form the developer image on the surface of the image bearing member,
• wherein an image formation area where the latent image on the surface of the image bearing member can be formed is divided into an image part where the developer image is formed and a non-image part where the developer image is not formed,
• wherein the exposure apparatus exposes the non-image part with light at an exposure amount lower than an exposure amount with respect to the image part, and
• wherein the charging apparatus charges the image bearing member and the exposure apparatus exposes the image part and the non-image part with light in a state in which the developer remains on the image bearing member.