Abstract: A toner is provided that contains a binder resin; a colorant; a release agent; and an external additive, wherein the toner has an average circularity of from 0.940 to 0.965 and a crater having a depth of from 0.02 to 0.1 ?m, and wherein the crater has an amount of the external additive larger than an average amount thereof on the toner, along with a two-component developer containing the toner and an image forming apparatus using the toner.

Abstract: The present invention provides an electrophotographic photoreceptor and an electrophotographic member, which have superior mold releasing and sliding properties and are able to maintain these properties over long periods of time, the photoreceptor comprising a first layer and a second layer, which includes a fluororesin layer, externally disposed on the first layer to form an outermost layer, the electrophotographic member comprising a first layer and a second layer, which includes a fluororesin layer, externally disposed on the first layer to form an outermost layer and filling voids in the first layer, and further provides a process cartridge equipped with said electrophotographic photoreceptor or said electrophotographic member, and an image forming apparatus.

Abstract: An electrostatic latent image is formed on an image carrier. In the image carrier, a photosensitive layer is provided so as to cover a conductive substrate. Conductive particles are dispersed in the photosensitive layer, such that some of the particles are exposed at a surface of the photosensitive layer.

Abstract: The invention provides an image-forming apparatus equipped with a toner container containing toner particles and an endless belt circulating in contact with image carriers carrying electrostatic latent images. The image-forming apparatus forms a toner image on a recording medium by developing an electrostatic latent image on an image carrier by supplying the toner particles thereto, transferring the toner image onto the surface of the belt and finally onto the recording medium, and fixing the toner image thereon. When the particle count distribution in diameter ranges of the toner particles is expressed by Smaller-side grain size distribution index GSDpS=(D50p/D16p)1/2, the toner container contains toner particles having a smaller-side grain size distribution index GSDpS of 1.24 or less; and the belt comprises a base support having a Young's modulus of 3,500 MPa or more and 9,000 MPa or less and a surface microhardness of 10 mN/?m2 or less.

Abstract: A toner comprising a resin binder and a colorant comprising a composite oxide of two or more metals, wherein the composite oxide has a BET specific surface area of 0.5 to 7 m2/g and a saturation magnetization of from 1 to 40 Am2/kg; and a two-component developer comprising the above toner and a carrier having a saturation magnetization of from 40 to 100 Am2/kg. The toner can be used for the development of a latent image formed in electrophotography, electrostatic recording method, electrostatic printing method or the like.

Abstract: An organic photoconductor including a charge generating layer and a charge transport layer on a conductive base, wherein crossing angle? of two tangent lines is 70° or more, two tangent lines which border on a curve drawn by plotting integrated values of detected current versus time in measurement of transient photocurrent (TOF), at a field intensity of 10V/?m; and film thickness of the charge transport layer is 8 to 15 ?m.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photosensitive member which has VA, VB, and d satisfying an expression (|?600?VA|?|?600?VB|)/d=0.13 and VC satisfying an expression ?5=?(?450?VC)=2 provides an excellent suppressing effect on ghost images and hardly causes a ghost phenomenon even when it is mounted on a color electrophotographic apparatus or an electrophotographic apparatus having no electrostatic removal device. The invention also relates to a process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus each having such an electrophotographic photosensitive member.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a toner, comprising a binder resin, a colorant and two kinds of infrared absorbing agents, and having a maximum absorbance of the toner in a wavelength range of 810 to 870 nm that is greater, preferably two or more times greater than the maximum absorbance of the toner in a wavelength range of 870 to 1,000 nm, and also relates to an image-forming method which uses a flash fixing system with a xenon lamp serving as its light source, and is characterized by using the above-mentioned toner.

Abstract: A toner comprising a resin binder and a colorant comprising a composite oxide of two or more metals, wherein the composite oxide has a BET specific surface area of 0.5 to 7 m2/g and a saturation magnetization of from 1 to 40 Am2/kg; and a two-component developer comprising the above toner and a carrier having a saturation magnetization of from 40 to 100 Am2/kg. The toner can be used for the development of a latent image formed in electrophotography, electrostatic recording method, electrostatic printing method or the like.

Abstract: In a process for forming an amorphous TiOPc/TiOFPc pigment mixture containing a low concentration of TiOFPc, a mixture containing phthalonitrile and titanium tetrachloride is subjected to reaction conditions effective to form lightly chlorine-substituted crude crystalline Cl—TiOPc. The lightly chlorine-substituted crude crystalline Cl—TiOPc is combined with crude crystalline TiOFPc in a weight ratio from about 75:25 Cl—TiOPc:TiOFPc to about 99.5:0.5 Cl—TiOPc:TiOFPC to form a crude crystalline pigment mixture, which is treated under conditions effective to form a substantially amorphous pigment mixture of Cl—TiOPc and TiOFPc. The substantially amorphous mixture can subsequently be converted to a nanocrystalline Cl—TiOPc/TiOFPc pigment composition containing a low concentration of TiOFPc.

Abstract: A photoconductive imaging member is disclosed comprising a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer comprising an oxidative inhibitor. An electrophotographic imaging process using the imaging member of the invention is also described.

Abstract: A ceramic toner which is transferable to a high-temperature resistant glass, glass ceramic or ceramic substrate by electrophotographic printing and which can be fired in a subsequent temperature process, containing color pigment particles in addition to special glass flow particles. According to this invention, the ceramic toner has a thermoplastic synthetic matrix which melts in a homogeneous manner on the substrate within a temperature range of 100° C.–400° C. and which, within the temperature range of 300° C.–500° C., vaporizes in an almost residue-free manner and/or decomposes in order to obtain a toner which can be transferred especially in a direct printing mode and which has almost no synthetic matrix residue after firing.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus contains a photoconductor having a support and a photoconductive layer disposed thereon. I(S) at the surface of the photoconductor and I(S) at the interface of the photoconductive layer on the support side are 5.0×10?3 or less and the sum of I(S)s is 3.0×10?3 or more.

Abstract: A photoconductive imaging member including a hole blocking layer, a photogenerating layer, and a charge transport layer, and wherein the hole blocking layer contains, for example, a metal oxide dispersed in an in situ formed inorganic/organic network wherein the inorganic component is silica, titania or zirconia, and the organic component is a mixture of a phenolic compound and a phenolic resin, and wherein the phenolic compound can contain, for example, at least two phenolic groups.

Abstract: A phenolic compound having a plurality of substituted hydroxyphenyl groups and charge-transportable structure, the substituted hydroxyphenyl groups of which have a hydroxymethyl group; and a resol resin obtained by allowing a phenolic compound having hydroxyphenyl groups and charge-transportable structure, to react with formaldehyde in the presence of a basic catalyst, and having charge-transportable structure. Also disclosed are a cured product and an electrophotographic photosensitive member which make use of the above, and a process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus which have the electrophotographic photosensitive member.

Abstract: This invention relates to a novel organophotoreceptor that includes: (a) a charge transport material comprising a fluorenone hydrazone having a) at least two fluorenone alkylsulfonylphenylhydrazone groups, b) at least two fluorenone pyrrolylhydrazone groups, c) at least two fluorenone benzotriazolylhydrazone groups, d) at least two fluorenone sulfolanylhydrazone groups, e) at least two fluorenone pyrazolylhydrazone groups, f) at least two fluorenone naphthylhydrazone groups, g) at least two fluorenone tetrazolylhydrazone groups, h) at least two fluorenone stilbenylhydrazone groups, or i) at least two fluorenone (9H-fluoren-9-ylidene)benzylhydrazone groups. Some of these fluoreneones may be represented by the formula where n is an integer between 2 and 6, inclusive; R1 is hydrogen, an alkyl group, or an aryl group; R2 is an alkylsulfonylphenyl or one of its derivatives; X is a linking group.

Abstract: A method for forming an electrophotographic image and a device for forming an image on a transfer material by the steps for charging, exposing, developing and transferring, and recovering the toner remained untransferred in the step for cleaning by recovering, wherein the toner used in the step for developing has a total surface area ratio Z of additive, which is calculated by Z=(Ht·Wt)/(H·W), satisfies 0.5?Z?1.5, the electrophotographic photoconductor used comprises at least a photosensitive layer and a filler-containing protective layer provided on a conductive support in that order, and the angle of repose of the toner to the protective layer surface of the electrophotographic photoconductor is 30° or less.

Abstract: Electrophotographic photoreceptor having a photosensitive layer containing an amino compound selected from formulae 1 to 22 in the specification.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photoreceptor includes an electroconductive substrate. A charge generation layer overlies the electroconductive substrate. A first charge transport layer overlying the charge generation layer includes a first charge transport material (D1) and a first binder resin (R1). A second charge transport layer overlying the first charge transport layer includes a filler, a second charge transport material (D2) and a second binder resin (R2). The first and second charge transport layers have a total thickness of from 5 to 25 ?m. A weight ratio (D1/R1) of the first charge transport material (D1) to the first binder resin (R1) in the first charge transport layer is greater than a weight ratio (D2/R2) of the second charge transport material (D2) to the second binder resin (R2) in the second charge transport layer.

Abstract: A toner having a half melting temperature not greater than 115° C. has good fixability without filming, even in an image forming method using a non-contact fixing method; has good fixability and color reproducibility, even in an image forming method reproducing multi-colored images by combining two or more toner layers of different color; has good heat resistance without impairing fixability and color reproducibility; and produces high quality images without impairing fixability and color reproducibility.