Patent ID: 7466947

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: a container configured to contain two-component developer including toner particles and carrier beads; an agitating member configured to agitate and convey the two-component developer in the container; a developer carrying member configured to pick up the two-component developer from the container to carry thereon the two-component developer, the developer carrying member having therein a magnetic field generating member including a plurality of fixed magnets and having formed thereon a plurality of grooves with a generally V-like shape and whose depth satisfies h≧ 50 +R/ 2+{( R/ 2)/sin(θ/2)}, in which h represents the depth of the grooves, θ represents an opening angle of the grooves, and R represents a volume-average diameter of the carrier beads; and a regulating member extending toward the developer carrying member from below the developer carrying member, disposed at a predetermined distance from the developer carrying member and configured to regulate an amount of the two-component developer carried on the developer carrying member.