Patent ID: 7250244

Claim:
An image forming method comprising: forming toner images of different colors on a photoconductor of an image forming apparatus; and transferring the toner image on an output medium or an intermediate transfer member of the image forming apparatus, wherein the image forming apparatus comprises: the photoconductor which comprises a support, and at least a photoconductive layer disposed above the support; an electrostatic charger for uniformly charging the photoconductor, being arranged at a distance from the photoconductor of 100 μm or less; a light irradiator for irradiating a coherent light imagewisely to the photoconductor; and the output medium, wherein the image forming apparatus optionally comprise the intermediate transfer member, wherein I(S) at a surface of the photoconductor and I(S) at an interface of the photoconductive layer on a side of the support are each 5.0×10 −3 or less, and wherein a sum of I(S) at the surface of the photoconductor and I(S) at the interface of the photoconductive layer on the side of the support is 3.0×10 −3 or more, each I(S) being determined by: subjecting a group of data of N samples of height X(τ) [μm] of a profile curve at the surface of the photoconductor or of a profile curve at the interface at the interface of the photoconductive layer on the side of the support, to discrete Fourier transform, according to following Equation 1, the N samples being taken at intervals of Δt [μm] in a reference line direction; and subjecting the resulting data to calculations according to following Equations 2 and 3, x ⁡ ( n N · Δ ⁢ ⁢ t ) = ∑ m = 0 N - 1 ⁢ ⁢ x ⁡ ( m · Δ ⁢ ⁢ t ) ⁢ exp ⁡ ( - ⅈ2π · n N · Δ ⁢ ⁢ t · m · Δ ⁢ ⁢ t ) Equation ⁢ ⁢ 1 wherein n and m are each an integer, and N is 2 ρ , where ρ is an integer, S ⁡ ( n N · Δ ⁢ ⁢ t ) = 1 N ·  X ⁡ ( n N · Δ ⁢ ⁢ t )  2 Equation ⁢ ⁢ 2 I ⁡ ( S ) = ( 1 N ) ⁢ ∑ n = 0 N - 1 ⁢ ⁢ { S ⁢ ( n N · Δ ⁢ ⁢ t } . Equation ⁢ ⁢ 3