Image-forming apparatus having pre-charge exposure device for image carrier

An image-forming apparatus comprising:

• an image carrier;
• a rotating charging member for charging the image carrier, the charging member being in contact with the image carrier and rotating such that the periphery of the charging member and the periphery of the image carrier move in opposite directions in a contact region between the image carrier and the charging member;
• and
• potential changing means for changing the potential of the image carrier before the image carrier is charged by the charging member, the potential changing means changing the potential of the image carrier such that a potential difference between a first region on the image carrier and the charging member is lower than a potential difference between a second region on the image carrier and the charging member, the first region being on an upstream side of the second region in the moving direction of the image carrier,
• wherein the first region is in an upstream side region of a position apart from the front end of a region to be a non-image-forming region on the image carrier by a distance corresponding to one turn of the charging member in the moving direction of the image carrier, and is in a downstream side region of a position apart from the back end of a region to be a non-image-forming region on the image carrier by the distance corresponding to one turn of the charging member in the moving direction of the image carrier.