Image forming apparatus and image forming method

An image forming method comprising:

• charging a surface of an image holder;
• forming an electrostatic charge image on the charged surface of the image holder;
• developing an electrostatic charge image formed on the surface of the image holder as a toner image by an electrostatic charge image developer containing a toner having toner particles, in which a release agent present in a region within 800 nm from a surface of the toner particles is 70% or more of a release agent in entire toner particles and a melting temperature of the release agent is 65° C. or higher and 80° C. or lower;
• transferring the toner image formed on the surface of the image holder to a surface of a recording medium;
• and
• bringing a cleaning blade into contact with an outer peripheral surface of the image holder and cleaning the outer peripheral surface of the image holder, the cleaning blade being constituted of a polyurethane resin, in which a total amount of F and Si present within 200 nm from the surface of the cleaning blade, which is brought into contact with the image holder, accounts for 75% or more of a total amount of F and Si present within 5 μm from the surface.

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• an image holder;
• charging means for charging a surface of the image holder;
• an electrostatic charge image forming means that forms an electrostatic charge image on the charged surface of the image holder;
• developing means for accommodating an electrostatic charge image developer containing a toner having toner particles and that develops an electrostatic charge image formed on the surface of the image holder as a toner image by the electrostatic charge image developer, in which a release agent present in a region within 800 nm from a surface of the toner particles is 70% or more of a release agent in entire toner particles and a melting temperature of the release agent is 65° C. or higher and 80° C. or lower;
• a transfer unit that transfers the toner image formed on the surface of the image holder to a surface of a recording medium;
• and
• a cleaning device having a cleaning blade that is brought into contact with and cleans an outer peripheral surface of the image holder and that is constituted of a polyurethane resin, in which a total amount of F and Si present within 200 nm from a surface of the cleaning blade, which is brought into contact with the image holder, accounts for 75% or more of a total amount of F and Si present within 5 μm from the surface.