To provide an image forming method and an image forming device in which cleaning performance is retained over a long period of time and a good electrophotograhic image free form image defects can be formed and to provide a process cartridge used in the image forming device.

The objective electrophotographic photoreceptor has at least a photosensitive layer and a protective layer on an electrically conductive substrate and the surface of the photoreceptor has 1.5 nm to 0.1 μm average surface roughness (Ra) within 5 μm around measured with an atomic force microscope. In the image forming method, image forming is carried out while supplying a metallic salt of a fatty acid to the surface of the photoreceptor.