Patent ID: 6978111

Claim:
A cleaning method for a liquid-development electrophotographic apparatus in which, after a toner image formed on a surface of an intermediate transfer member by use of a liquid developer is transferred to a printing medium, the liquid developer remaining on the intermediate transfer member is removed and collected, comprising: a cleaning-liquid application step of applying a cleaning liquid to the intermediate transfer member which has transferred an image to the printing medium; a step of heating the residual developer on the intermediate transfer member to a temperature equal to or higher than a softening point of resin contained in the developer; a bias voltage application step of applying, to the intermediate transfer member, a bias voltage opposite in polarity to charged toner particles of the residual developer; and a collection step of removing, from the intermediate transfer member, the cleaning liquid which has been applied in the cleaning-liquid application step, and the residual developer which remains on the intermediate transfer member without transfer of an image to the printing medium, and collecting the removed cleaning liquid and residual developer.