Abstract: An image forming method and image forming apparatus for charging a photosensitive member, exposing the charged photosensitive member thereby forming an electrostatic latent image, carrying toner with a toner carrying member to bring the toner into contact with the photosensitive member surface, thereby developing the electrostatic latent image and forming a toner image upon the photosensitive member, transferring the toner image that is on the photosensitive member to transfer material such as paper, and conducting a simultaneous developing-cleaning process which recovers residual toner remaining on the photosensitive member following the transfer process, so that toner consumption is greatly reduced and high image quality is maintained at the same time. The angle of contact of the photosensitive member surface to water is 85.degree.

Abstract: A charging apparatus or an electrophotographic apparatus includes an electrophotographic photosensitive member including a photosensitive layer provided on a conductive supporting member, and a charging member including magnetic particles, disposed to be in contact with the electrophotographic photosensitive member, for charging the electrophotographic photosensitive member when a voltage is applied to the charging member. The layer of the electrophotographic photosensitive member most separated from the conductive supporting member has a volume resistivity between 10.sup.8 .OMEGA..cm and 10.sup.15 .OMEGA..cm, and the magnetic particles have a hygroscopic property such that the ratio H/L of the maximum value H to the minimum value L of the amount of water contained within the particles is at least 1 and less than 4.

Abstract: An image forming method includes forming an electrostatic latent image on an image bearing member having a surface of which contact angle with water is at least 90.degree., forming a toner layer on a toner carrying member, bringing the toner layer into contact with the surface of the image bearing member on which the electrostatic latent image has been formed, while rotating the image bearing member and the toner carrying member reciprocally, and developing the electrostatic latent image by the use of the toner of the toner layer to form a toner image.

Abstract: A toner for developing electrostatic images is constituted by toner particles comprising a binder resin and a colorant. The toner is characterized by having (i) a particle size distribution including a weight-average particle size D.sub.4 of X .mu.m and Y% by number of toner particles having a particle size of at most 3.17 .mu.m satisfying the following conditions (1) and (2):-5X+35.ltoreq.Y.ltoreq.-25X+180 (1)3.5.ltoreq.X.ltoreq.6.5 (2),(ii) at least one heat absorption peak in a temperature region of at most 110.degree. C. as measured by differential thermal analysis, and (iii) a tap void of 0.45-0.70. The toner is effective for obviating the sleeve ghost phenomenon.

Abstract: A developer for developing electrostatic images has a toner and an aggregate of fine particles. The aggregate holds a silicone compound selected from the group consisting of a silicone oil and a silicone varnish, in an amount of from 20% by weight to 90% by weight.

Abstract: A magnetic toner has magnetic toner particles containing a binder resin and a magnetic material, and an inorganic fine powder treated with an organic compound. The magnetic toner has a volume average particle diameter D.sub.v (.mu.m) of 3 .mu.m.ltoreq.D.sub.v <6 .mu.m, a weight average particle diameter D.sub.4 (.mu.m) of 3.5 .mu.m.ltoreq.D.sub.4 <6.5 .mu.m, a percentage M.sub.r of particles with particle diameters of 5 .mu.m or smaller in number particle size distribution of the magnetic toner, of 60% by number<M.sub.r .ltoreq.90% by number, and the ratio of a percentage N.sub.r of particles with particle diameters of 3.17 .mu.m or smaller in number particle size distribution of the magnetic toner to a percentage N.sub.v of particles with particle diameters of 3.17 .mu.m or smaller in volume particle size distribution of the magnetic toner, N.sub.r /N.sub.v, of from 2.0 to 8.0.

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming method including a toner image transfer step and eliminating an independent step for cleaning transfer residual toner is operated without causing ghost images and with good gradation and dot reproducibilities. In the method, the photosensitive member is exposed at an exposure intensity which is at least a minimum exposure intensity and below a maximum exposure intensity. The minimum exposure intensity is determined on a surface potential-exposure intensity characteristic curve of the photosensitive member by determining a first slope S1 of a straight line connecting a point giving a dark part potential Vd and a point giving a value of (Vd+ a residual potential Vr)/2, determining a contact point between a tangent line having a slope of S1/20 and the surface potential-exposure intensity characteristic curve and determining the minimum exposure intensity as an exposure intensity at the contact point.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a member to be charged for carrying an electrostatic image, a contact-charging means for charging the member to be charged in contact with the member to be charged, and a developing means for developing the electrostatic image carried on the member to be charged. The developing means includes a developer for developing the electrostatic image comprising a toner and hydrophobic inorganic fine powder. The hydrophobic fine powder has a hydrophobicity of 60% or higher and the toner has a volume average particle size of 4-8 microns. The hydrophobic inorganic fine powder not only improves the fluidity of the developer and adjusts the chargeability of the developer but also prevents difficulties due to interaction between the member to be charged and the contact charging means in the presence of residual developer, such as damages of the member to be charged and toner-sticking onto the member to be charged.

Abstract: A developing apparatus includes a developer carrying member for opposing to an image bearing member bearing an electrostatic image, and for carrying a developer to develop the electrostatic image on the image bearing member, the developer having a polarity which is the same as a charging polarity of the image bearing member, and a bias voltage source for applying an oscillating bias voltage to the developer carrying member. The bias voltage oscillates interposing an image portion potential of the image bearing member, and an absolute value of a peak level of a background portion side potential is smaller than an absolute value of a background portion potential.

Abstract: An image forming method, including steps of: charging a photosensitive member; exposing the photosensitive member so that an electrostatically charged image is formed; developing the electrostatically charged image so that a toner image is formed; transferring the toner image to a transfer member by transfer means; and cleaning residual toner particles on the photosensitive member by cleaning means after the toner image has been transferred, wherein the photosensitive member rotates at peripheral speed V (mm/sec); the transfer means is disposed so that the distance from a developing position on the photosensitive member to a transfer position in a direction of rotation of the photosensitive member is d.sub.1 (mm); d.sub.1 /v is 0.17 sec. or less; and developing the electrostatically charged image with toner having a triboelectric charge of .vertline.5.vertline. to .vertline.50.vertline. .mu.c/g and containing 30% by number or less of toner particles having sizes below 4 .mu.m.

Abstract: An image forming method, including the steps of: developing an electrostatic image formed on an electrostatic image-bearing member with a developer to form thereon thereon a developed image, the developer containing 100 wt. parts of a toner and 0.05 to 3 wt. parts of fine powder treated with a silicone oil or silicone varnish; and transferring the developed image on the electrostatic image-bearing member to a transfer material while causing a transfer device, such as a roller or belt to contact the electrostatic image-bearing member by the medium of the transfer material under a line pressure of 3 g/cm or higher.

Abstract: A toner for developing an electrostatic image, comprises a binder resin and a colorant. The toner has a glass transition temperature (Tg) of 65.degree. C. or lower. The binder resin comprises a styrene-acrylic copolymer formed from at least a styrenic monomer and a mixture of two or more acrylic monomers. The binder resin contains 10% by weight or more of THF insolubles. The amount of the styrenic monomer remaining in the toner is 0.005 part or less by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the binder resin component in the toner (50 ppm), and the amount of the acrylic monomers remaining in said toner is 0.001 part by weight based on 100 parts by weight or less of the binder resin component in the toner (10 ppm). At least one component of the mixture of acrylic monomers has a Q-value of 0.5 to less than 1.0 and the other has a Q-value of 0.3 to less than 0.5.This toner is excellent in the anti-off-set property to a fixing roller surface, good in fixability, giving high image density and little odor.

Abstract: An image forming method, including the steps of: developing an electrostatic image formed on an electrostatic image-bearing member with a developer to form thereon thereon a developed image, the developer containing 100 wt. parts of a toner and 0.05 to 3 wt. parts of fine powder treated with a silicone oil or silicone varnish; and transferring the developed image on the electrostatic image-bearing member to a transfer material while causing a transfer device, such as a roller or belt to contact the electrostatic image-bearing member by the medium of the transfer material under a line pressure of 3 g/cm or higher.

Abstract: A toner for developing an electrostatic image is provided as a pulverized mixture including a binder resin and a colorant. The binder resin is characterized by a molecular weight distribution on a GPC chromatogram of its tetrahydrofuran (THF)-soluble resin content including at least 15% and below 35% of a resin component in a molecular weight region of at most 5000 and at least 3 wt. % of a resin component in a molecular weight region of at least 5.times.10.sup.6 and showing a main peak in a molecular weight region of 5000 to 10.sup.5. The binder resin also has an acid value of 2-100 mg KOH/g. The THF-soluble resin component in the molecular weight region of at least 5.times.10.sup.6 is enriched during a melt-kneading step during the toner production.

Abstract: A developer for developing an electrostatic image has a toner, fine resin particles with a surface shape sphericity .psi. of from 0.90 to 0.50, and fine inorganic particles.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a member to be charged for carrying an electrostatic image, a contact-charging means for charging the member to be charged in contact with the member to be charged, and a developing means for developing the electrostatic image carried on the member to be charged. The developing means includes a developer for developing the electrostatic image comprising a toner and hydrophobic inorganic fine powder. The hydrophobic inorganic fine powder not only improves the fluidity of the developer and adjusts the chargeability of the developer but also prevents difficulties due to interaction between the member to be charged and the contact charging means in the presence of residual developer, such as damages of the member to be charged and toner-sticking onto the member to be charged.

Abstract: A developer for developing an electrostatic image has a toner, fine resin particles with a surface shape sphericity .psi. of from 0.90 to 0.50, and fine inorganic particles.

Abstract: An image forming method, including the steps of: developing an electrostatic image formed on an electrostatic image-bearing member with a developer to form thereon thereon a developed image, the developer containing 100 wt. parts of a toner and 0.05 to 3 wt. parts of fine powder treated with a silicone oil or silicone varnish; and transferring the developed image on the electrostatic image-bearing member to a transfer material while causing a transfer device, such as a roller or belt, to contact the electrostatic image-bearing member by the medium of the transfer material under a line pressure of 3 g/cm or higher.

Abstract: A magnetic developer for developing an electrostatic latent image, including hydrophobic silica fine powder and an insulating magnetic toner comprising at least a binder resin and a magnetic material comprising spherical magnetic particles; wherein 0.16 to 1.6 wt. parts of the hydrophobic silica fine powder is mixed with 100 wt. parts of the insulating magnetic toner; the developer contains 17-60% by number of magnetic toner particles having a particle size of 5 microns or smaller, 5-50% by number of magnetic toner particles having a particle size of 6.35-10.08 microns, and 2.0% by volume or less of magnetic toner particles having a particle size of 12.7 microns or larger.

Abstract: A binder resin comprises a vinyl copolymer, a mixture of vinyl copolymers, or a mixture of a vinyl copolymer and a vinyl polymer. A resin component with a molecular weight of not more than 10,000 is contained in an amount of from 5 to 50% by weight based on the whole resin. The vinyl copolymer or the mixture of vinyl copolymers has an acid anhydride group and a carboxyl group.