Patent ID: 7194229

Claim:
A color image forming apparatus comprising: an image supporting member which includes a photoconductive layer configured to hold an electrostatic latent image; a first image forming section, arranged around the image supporting member, which forms and visualizes an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductive layer to form a first developed image, the first image forming section having a charging device which gives a first potential to the photoconductive layer, an exposure device which forms a first electrostatic latent image corresponding to an image of a first color on the photoconductive layer, and a development device which supplies a developer of the first color to the first electrostatic latent image to form a first developed image; a second image forming section, arranged around the image supporting member, which forms and visualizes an electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductive layer to form a second developed image, the second image forming section having a charging device which gives a second potential to the photoconductive layer, the charging device electrostatically fixing the developer of the first color to the photoconductive layer and applying potential to the photoconductive layer so as to form a second electrostatic latent image to the photoconductive layer, an exposure device which forms the second electrostatic latent image corresponding to an image of a second color on the photoconductive layer, and a development device which supplies a developer of the second color to the second electrostatic latent image to form a second developed image at least partially overlapping the first developed image; and a carrier liquid quantity reducing device which is arranged around the image supporting member, and removes part of a carrier liquid contained in the first developed image formed by the first image forming section after a second charging with the charging device of the second image forming section and before the second developed image is formed by the second image forming section.