Patent ID: 8879933

Claim:
An image formation apparatus comprising: a rotatable image carrier configured to carry an electrostatic latent image; an exposure unit configured to form the electrostatic latent image with a certain number of image dots by exposing the image carrier to irradiation light; a development unit configured to form a developer image by attaching a developer to the electrostatic latent image with a development voltage; a voltage supply unit configured to supply the development unit with the development voltage; an image formation unit configured to transfer the developer image onto a recording medium; a cleaning unit configured to cleanup the developer left on the image carrier after the transfer of the developer image; and a developer discard amount controller configured to control an amount of the developer to be forcibly attached to the image carrier from the development unit on the basis of a total number of rotations of the image carrier if the number of image dots printed during a prescribed number of rotations of the image carrier is smaller than a reference value, and to forcibly attach a controlled amount of the developer to the image carrier to discard the developer.