Patent ID: 8185017

Claim:
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising: an image bearing member which is a rotatable photoconductor containing at least an organic photoconductive layer on a conductive cylindrical support, a latent electrostatic image forming unit configured to charge the image bearing member so as to form a latent electrostatic image thereon, and a developing unit configured to develop the latent electrostatic image on the image bearing member with a developer so as to form a visible image, wherein the thickness of the organic photoconductive layer monotonically decreases or increases in a direction along a rotational axis of the image bearing member from one end to the other end of the image bearing member, wherein the developing unit comprises a development sleeve for bearing and transferring the developer to a developing region, and wherein a development gap is formed between the image bearing member and the development sleeve, and becomes narrower from one end of the image bearing member where the organic photoconductive layer is thicker to the other end of the image bearing member where the organic photoconductive layer is thinner.