Patent ID: 7058338

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image bearing member; charging means that charges the image bearing member; developing member that develops an electrostatic image formed on the image bearing member with a developer; transfer means that transfers a developer image developed by the developing means; and dispersing means which is located further on an upstream side than the charging means in a moving direction of a surface of the image bearing member and further on a downstream side than the transfer means and which comes into contact with the image bearing member and disperses the developer on the image bearing member, wherein the dispersing means reciprocates in a longitudinal direction of the image bearing member, and when a number of rotations per unit time of the image bearing member is assumed to be “a” and a number of times of reciprocation per unit time of the dispersing means is assumed to be “b”, assuming that R=b/a, a value of R is set in a range of 1/25≦R≦3 excluding R=m/n, where m and n are integers of 5 or less.