Patent ID: 8374537

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: an image bearer configured to have a resin layer comprising a carbonate bond on its surface; an image former configured to form a toner image on the image bearer; a transferer configured to transfer the toner image onto a receiving material; and a protectant applicator configured to apply a protectant comprising zinc stearate and zinc palmitate to the surface of the image bearer, wherein the protectant is a protectant bar or a protectant block, that comprises zinc stearate and zinc palmitate and is formed by compression molding methods, wherein an average amount of the protectant adhering to the image bearer is from 0.4 to 2.0 μg/cm 2 after 500 images are produced, and wherein the following relationships are satisfied: X=Sb/Sa wherein X represents an index of the amount of the protectant adhering at an arbitrary point i on the surface of the image bearer; Sa represents a peak area in a wavenumber domain of from 1,765 to 1,786 cm −1 based on a wavenumber domain of from 1,751 to 1,801 cm −1 in an infrared absorption spectrum (IR spectrum) measured by attenuated total reflection (ATR) method using a Ge prism as an ATR prism and an IR incidence angle of 45° at the arbitrary point i on the surface of the image bearer; and Sb represents a peak area in a wavenumber domain of from 1,533 to 1,547 cm −1 based on a wavenumher domain of from 1,483 to 1,589 cm −1 therein, and Δ Xi/X ave<0.3 wherein Xi represent the indices X at n-pieces (1 to n) of the arbitrary points i in an image forming area of the image bearer along its longitudinal direction; Xave represents an average of the n-pieces of Xi; and ΔXi|Xi−Xave| represents a variation of Xi, and wherein the protectant further comprises boron nitride in zinc stearate in an amount of from 12 to 17% by weight based on total weight of solid contents of protectant.