| abstract |
An electrophotographic image forming method is disclosed. The method includes electrically charging a photoreceptor, imagewise exposing the photoreceptor so that a latent image is formed on the photoreceptor, supplying a lubricant on a surface of the photoreceptor, and developing the latent image with a toner so that a toner image is formed on the photoreceptor, transferring the toner image and cleaning the photoreceptor, in which the photoreceptor has an electro-conductive substrate, a photosensitive layer and a protective layer containing inorganic particles, a ratio RSm/D 50 of an average length of surface roughness profile element in the direction making a right angle with the driving direction of the photoreceptor RSm (μm) to a number-based median diameter of the toner D 50 is from 0.4 to 2.0, and a skewness of the surface roughness profile of the photoreceptor in the direction making a right angle with the driving direction of the photoreceptor Rsk is from −3.0 to 0.0. |