Patent ID: 7756436

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: an image bearing body on which an image is formed in accordance with image data; a developer bearing member that supplies a developer material to the image bearing body; a developer supplying member that supplies the developer material to the developer bearing member; a computing section that computes a dot population density for a corresponding one of a plurality of sub data areas, the plurality of sub data areas being obtained by dividing the image data such that the plurality of sub data areas are aligned in a printable area of a print medium in a direction perpendicular to a direction of travel of the print medium; a controller that performs a developer material removing process based on the dot population density, the developer material removing process being such that the developer material deposited on the developer bearing member is removed from the developer bearing member in an area corresponding to the dot population density, wherein the controller performs the developer material removing process when the dot population density is lower than a reference value; and a print controller that generates a print pattern, wherein when a dot population density of a sub data area is lower than the reference value, said print controller generates the print pattern for printing an additional number of dots equal to the number of dots required for the dot population density of the sub data area to be equal to the reference value, and when the controller performs the developer material removing process, the print controller prints the print pattern.