Image forming method and image forming apparatus

A color image forming method, comprising:

• (a) charging uniformly a surface of an organic photoreceptor while rotating the organic photoreceptor;
• (b) exposing the charged surface of the photoreceptor with a light beam having a wavelength in the range of 350 nm to 500 nm in a main scanning direction to form a dot-shaped electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor;
• and
• (c) developing the dot-shaped electrostatic latent image with toner to form a dot-shaped toner image on the photoreceptor so as to satisfy the following formulas:
• 1.1≦B/A≦1.5 and 10≦A≦50,
• where A is a length (μm) of an exposed dot of the dot-shaped electrostatic latent image in the main scanning direction, and B is a length (μm) of a toner dot of the dot-shaped toner image in the main scanning direction,
• (d) transferring the toner image to an intermediate transfer member,
• (e) conducting the steps of (a) through (d) for each of plural different colors so as to superimpose the plural different color toner images on the intermediate transfer member;
• and
• (f) transferring the superimposed different color toner images on a recording material.

A color image forming method for use in an image forming apparatus having a plurality of organic photoreceptors each for forming a color toner image, the method comprising:

• (a) charging uniformly a surface of an organic photoreceptor while rotating the photoreceptor;
• (b) exposing the charged surface of the photoreceptor with a light beam having a wavelength in the range of 350 nm to 500 nm in a main scanning direction to form a dot-shaped electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor;
• and
• (c) developing the dot-shaped electrostatic latent image with toner to form a dot-shaped toner image on the photoreceptor so as to satisfy the following formulas:
• 1.1≦B/A≦1.5 and 10≦A≦50,
• where A is a length (μm) of an exposed dot of the dot-shaped electrostatic latent image in the main scanning direction, and B is a length (μm) of a toner dot of the dot-shaped toner image in the main scanning direction,
• (d) transferring the toner image onto an intermediate transfer member;
• (e) conducting the steps of (a) through (d) for each of plural different colors so as to superimpose the plural different color toner images on the intermediate transfer member.