Patent ID: 7336910

Claim:
An image forming apparatus which visualizes an image according to a latent image potential on an image bearing body consisting of a charging unit and an exposing unit, a development potential applied to a developing unit, and a development contrast being a difference between the latent image potential and the development potential, said image forming apparatus comprising an environment detection unit adapted to detect at least one of a temperature and a humidity, wherein said image forming apparatus executes image adjustment by changing a target development contrast and a gamma development contrast for gamma conversion, and executing the gamma conversion based on the changed gamma development contrast, according to a detected result of said environment detection unit, wherein the target development contrast VcontBody is given by a sum total of a basic development contrast Vcont, a first development contrast correction amount ΔVcont 1 for correcting the basic development contrast, a second development contrast correction amount ΔVcont 2 and a third development contrast correction amount ΔVcont 3 , that is, VcontBody=Vcont+ΔVcont 1 +ΔVcont 2 +ΔVcont 3 , wherein the gamma development contrast VcontGamma for gamma conversion is given by VcontGamma=Vcont+A·ΔVcont 1 +B·ΔVcont 2 +C·ΔVcont 3 , where A=1, B=0, and C is a constant other than 0, wherein ΔVcont 1 is set so as to effect at least one of reducing toner consumption and avoiding charge leakage from the charging unit, wherein ΔVcont 2 is set so as to optimize image quality, and wherein ΔVcont 3 and C are set according to the detected result of said environment direction unit.