Patent ID: 8208835

Claim:
A protective layer forming device comprising: a protective agent block containing a metal soap, a protective agent supplying unit configured to supply a protective agent onto a photoconductor, and a pressing unit configured to press the protective agent supplying unit against the protective agent block, wherein the protective agent supplying unit is rotated while being pressed against the protective agent block by the pressing unit, so that the protective agent block is micronized to make the protective agent in the form of a fine powder, and the protective agent in the form of a fine powder is supplied onto the photoconductor, thereby forming a protective layer on the photoconductor, and wherein the protective agent in the form of a fine powder has a particle diameter of 200 μm or smaller and contains protective agent particles of 20 μm to 200 μm in an amount of 1% by mass to 70% by mass.