Abstract: An image-fixing method contains: passing a recording medium bearing an image through a nip between two or more fixing members to fix the image onto the recording medium; and ejecting the recording medium along with the fixing member contacting with a non-image-bearing surface of the recording medium, wherein the fixing member contacting with an image-bearing surface of the recording medium has a lower surface hardness than that of the fixing member contacting with the non-image-bearing surface, the image is comprised of a toner containing toner particles, each toner particle contains wax having an aliphatic hydrocarbon chain, and polyester resin having an aromatic ring, a total amount of the wax in the toner particle is 1 to 20 mass %, determined by DSC, an amount of the wax located in the specific region of the toner particle is 0.05 to 0.40 that is an intensity ratio (P2850/P828) determined by FTIR-ATR, and the wax is partially or entirely encapsulated in the toner particle as dispersed particles.

Abstract: To provide a toner for developing an electrostatic charge image, the toner containing at least a colorant obtained by reacting a polymer with a basic dye, wherein the polymer contains 10 mol % or more of a monomer unit having any one of a sulfonic acid group, a sulfonic acid salt group, a sulfuric acid group and a sulfuric acid salt group as a constitutional unit, and the toner is obtained by forming a toner composition liquid containing at least the colorant into oil droplets in an aqueous medium, and solidifying the oil droplets into solid particles.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a toner characterized in that the toner comprises a first binder resin and a second binder resin, the first binder resin is an amorphous resin and the second binder resin is a crystalline resin, and the glass-transition temperature of the toner (TgA) is lower than the glass-transition temperature expressed by the following equation (1) (TgC). TgC = ? i = 1 n ? ? b i / ? i = 1 n ? ? ( b i TgB i ) Equation ? ? ( 1 ) In the above equation (1), “TgBi” represents the glass-transition temperature of the amorphous resin, “n” represents the number of amorphous resins, and “b” represents the content of the amorphous resin (part by mass). Examples of the preferred aspect of the present invention includes the one that at least a part of the amorphous resin and a part of the crystalline resin are compatible each other, and the one that the glass-transition temperature of the toner (TgA) is 10° C.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a wet developer comprising: a carrier solution; toner particles dispersed in the carrier solution; and a dispersing agent for dispersing the toner particles in the carrier solution, wherein a change in loss elastic modulus in response to a temperature rise of the wet developer has a peak, and a fixing method for fixing images of toner on a recording material, comprising: developing electrostatic latent images to form toner images with a wet developer containing a carrier solution, toner particles dispersed in the carrier solution, and a dispersing agent for dispersing the toner particles in the carrier solution, the wet developer having a peak in a change in loss elastic modulus in response to a temperature rise of the wet developer; transferring the toner images on the recording material; and fixing the transferred toner images by heat.

Abstract: An electrostatic image developing toner comprising a binder resin and a colorant, wherein the toner contains a mixture of: (i) a compound represented by Formula (3); and (ii) a compound represented by Formula (1) and/or (2), wherein R1 to R8 each represent an alkyl group having 10 to 30 carbon atoms and X represents H or —CO—R9, wherein R9 represents an alkyl group having 1-4 carbon atoms:

Abstract: A toner for developing an electrostatic charge image comprising a resin, a colorant, and a particle having domain-matrix structure and the particle having two or more kinds of metal elements.

Abstract: A method of preparing a toner, including periodically discharging a toner constituent liquid from plural nozzles having the same aperture diameter with a mechanical oscillator, wherein the toner constituent liquid includes: a binder resin, a colorant, and an organic solvent, wherein the binder resin and the colorant are dissolved or dispersed in the organic solvent; forming a droplet of the toner constituent liquid in a gas phase; and solidifying the droplet, wherein the aperture diameter is from 3 to 30 ?m, and the binder resin has a ratio (Mw/Mn) of a weight-average molecular weight (Mw) to a number-average molecular weight (Mn) of THF (tetrahydrofuran)-soluble components therein of from 1.5 to 15 in a molecular weight distribution measured by GPC (gel permeation chromatography), and a ½ flow temperature (Tm) of from 114 to 149° C.

Abstract: This is an electrophotographic marking system with the ability to minimize adherence of a marking composition to a fixing component in the system, such as a fuser roll. In this manner, offset is avoided and a better image results on the paper or receiving medium. This is accomplished by using a substituted polyolefin as a release agent that is coated on the surface of the fuser roll.

Abstract: The present invention provides a support for image recording material etc. that can record high-quality images far from occurrences of blister, uneven recording or uneven fixing. In order to attain the object, a support for image recording material is provided that comprises a raw paper, and at least one polyolefin resin layer on both sides of the raw paper, wherein two or more polyolefin resin layers are disposed at the front side where an image recording layer is to be disposed, polypropylene resin is included within at least one polyolefin resin layer at the front side other than the outermost polyolefin resin layer at the front side, and the content A (% by mass) of polypropylene resin within the at least one polyolefin resin layer at the front side other than the outermost polyolefin resin layer is higher than the content B (% by mass) of polypropylene resin within the outermost polyolefin resin layer at the front side.

Abstract: An electrostatic image developing toner comprising a binder resin and a colorant, wherein the toner comprises a compound represented by the following Formula (1): wherein, R1, R2, R3 and R4 each independently represent an alkyl group having 10 to 30 carbon atoms and the alkyl group may have a substituent.

Abstract: A receiver member is provided suitable for having an ultra-gloss, image print formed thereon, the receiver member having at least one planar surface, a plurality of standoffs protruding from the planar surface, the plurality of standoffs providing a coefficient of friction for the planar surface for substantially preventing similar stacked receiver members from sticking together, and without adversely affecting any print image thereon. A member is provided for creating a contour on the receiver member. The member includes a surface contoured to exhibit a plurality of valleys which will not adversely impact print image quality, wherein a reciprocal peaked contour is formed on the receiver member.

Abstract: A toner for developing an electrostatic charge image comprising a resin, a colorant, and a particle having domain-matrix structure and the particle having two or more kinds of metal elements.

Abstract: All objective is to provide an image forming method by which sufficient fixing strength can be obtained at a low temperature of 120° C., excellent print images with no belt-like like or streak image defect can be obtained, and no document offsetting is generated even though the superimposed print images are stored. Disclosed is an image forming method comprising the step of fixing a toner image formed with a toner comprising a releasing agent on a transfer material employing a contact-heating fixing device comprising a heating roller and a belt-shaped pressure body, wherein the heating roller is placed on the upper side of the transfer material, the releasing agent comprises the 1st releasing agent component and the 2nd releasing agent component, and the 1st releasing agent component has a content of 40-98% by weight, based on the total weight of the 1st and 2nd releasing agent components.

Abstract: The invention provides a fixing method including conveying a recording medium on which a toner image has been formed using a fixing belt, in a state in which the fixing belt contacts with a surface of the recording medium on which the toner image is formed, at least from a fixing portion in which the toner image is fixed by heating and pressing the recording medium to a cooling portion in which the recording medium after fixing is cooled, wherein the ten-point average roughness (Rz) of a surface of the fixing belt contacting with the recording medium is 0.7 ?m or less or the filtered maximum waviness in every convex portion present on a surface of the fixing belt contacting with the recording medium is 50 ?m or less. The invention also provides a fixing apparatus using the method and an image forming apparatus using the method.

Abstract: A fuser member having a substrate, an outer layer with a fluoropolymer, and a release agent material coating on the outer layer, wherein the release agent material coating contains (a) a blend with a mercapto functional release agent having the following formula II: wherein A represents —R4—X, wherein R4 represents an alkyl group having from about 1 to about 10 carbons, X represents —SH; R1 and R2 are the same or different and each is selected from the group consisting of an alkyl having from about 1 to about 25 carbons, an aryl having from about 4 to about 10 carbons, and an arylalkyl; R3 is selected from the group consisting of an alkyl having from about 1 to about 25 carbons, an aryl having from about 4 to about 10 carbons, an arylalkyl, and a substituted diorganosiloxane chain having from about 1 to about 500 siloxane units; b and c are numbers and are the same or different and each satisfy the conditions of 1?b?10 and 10?c?1,000 d and d? are numbers and are the same or different and are 2 or 3, and e

Abstract: A toner including toner particles including a colorant; a binder resin; and a release agent, wherein the binder resin includes a polyester resin (A) having a crystallinity and a specific formula (1), wherein a molar ratio of the ester bond of the crystalline polyester resin to total ester bonds included in the binder resin is not less than 0.60, and wherein the toner has a weight average particle diameter of from 3.0 to 9.0 ?m, and includes toner particles having a particle diameter not greater than 5 ?m in an amount of from 60 to 90% by quantity. A fixing method in which a toner image of the toner is fixed with a fixing device including a fixing roller having a thickness not greater than 1.0 mm and a pressure roller, wherein the fixing pressure is not greater than 1.5×105 Pa. An image forming method and a process cartridge using the toner are also provided.

Abstract: A process contains in which heating and fixing an image of a toner on a recording medium is performed by heating one or more heat-transfer media by a heating element, and pressing the recording medium bearing the toner image to one of the heat-transfer media. At least one of the heat-transfer media is a belt heat-transfer medium with or without the application of an oil whose amount is 4 mg or less per A4 size, and the toner contain a binder resin and a releasing agent, has a weight-average particle diameter Dv of 3.0 to 7.0 ?m, a particle diameter distribution Dv/Dn of 1.00 or more and 1.25 or less, wherein Dn is a number-average particle diameter, and an average shape factor SF-1 of 100 to 150 and contains toner particles having a shape factor SF-1 of 160 or more in an amount of 10% by number or less.

Abstract: A fixing device and an image forming apparatus are provided that shorten warming-up time, reduce power consumption and deviation of a belt, and surely fix a toner image onto a sheet. Support members and a pressurizing member contact each other with pressure at an upstream side and a downstream side in a carrying direction of a recording medium. A first interposing portion of the belt disposed between the support members is inserted between the support members and the pressurizing member and is installed in a tensed state. A second interposing portion of the belt is installed in a non-tensed state, the pressurizing member contacts the outside of the first interposing portion to form the fixing nip portion. The support members contact the pressurizing member with different pressures at the upstream side and the downstream side in the carrying direction of the recording medium.

Abstract: The present invention provides: a toner kit having a deep toner and a pale toner which are separated from each other, wherein: the deep toner and the pale toner satisfy prescribed conditions for an L*a*b* color coordinate system where a* represents a hue in the red-green direction, b* represents a hue in the yellow-blue direction, and L* represents a lightness; the pale toner and the deep toner to be used in the toner kit; and a method for forming an image using the toner kit. Thus, the present invention can form a high quality image, while suppressing graininess and roughness over the areas covering from the low density area to the high density area.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image supporting material for fixably supporting a color toner image, the material including a base material, a light scattering layer provided on the base material and containing a white pigment and a thermoplastic resin, and a color toner receptive layer provided on the light scattering layer and containing at least a thermoplastic resin, wherein the thermoplastic resin in the light scattering layer is constituted of a polyolefin or a polyolefinic copolymer having a temperature, at which viscosity becomes 5×103 Pa·s, of 100° C. or higher, and the thermoplastic resin in the color toner receptive layer is constituted of a resin obtained by melt mixing of a crystalline polyester resin and an amorphous resin and having a temperature, at which viscosity becomes 103 Pa·s, equal to or higher than 65° C. but lower than 80° C.

Abstract: Disclosed is an electrophotographic image forming method which comprises steps of forming a toner image on an image support, fixing the toner image on the image support in a fixing nip section of a fixing device employing a contact heating system and the toner contains a first releasing agent, a dynamic viscosity of the first releasing agent is 4-20 mm2/sec; and a fixing temperature in the fixing nip section of the fixing device is 75-100° C. higher than a melting point of the first releasing agent.