Abstract: A toner for developing latent electrostatic images is provided which contains, in a binder resin, at least a coloring agent formed from a metal material. A saturation magnetization of the toner is 0.01 to 10 emu/g, and a true specific gravity thereof is 1.33 to 1.62 g/m3. Also provided are an electrostatic charge image developer containing the toner for developing latent electrostatic images, an image forming device, and an image forming method using the toner for developing latent electrostatic images.

Abstract: In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus of the type including a plurality of image carriers arranged along an image transfer belt and an image transferring device configured to transfer toner images of different colors from the image carriers to a sheet being conveyed by an image transfer belt or by way of the image transfer belt by applying a bias to the belt, a bias applying method of the present invention can measure a current leaking between a plurality of high-tension power supply sections or to the ends thereof as AC resistances between respective terminals and therefore to accurately measure the leak currents of DC components. Therefore, when relatively high DC components are selected, a difference in current between a plurality of power supply sections can be maintained constant.

Abstract: A carrier is composed of carrier particles, each carrier particle having a core particle containing at least a magnetic material and a surface coating layer provided on the core particle containing at least a resin, the surface coating layer being constituted of a plurality of regions, the regions being separately formed and joined together to form a complex configuration, and having different phase lags when the surface coating layer is subjected to scanning by phase imaging measurement using a scanning probe microscope in a tapping mode, wherein a region having a phase lag over the average phase lag obtained from Eavg=&Sgr;(E(i)·S(i))/&Sgr;S(i) has an area SO, and SO and &Sgr;S(i) are in a relationship of 10%≦SO/&Sgr;S(i)×100≦90% when each region comprises a component A(i) having an area S(i) and a phase lag E(i), in which i represents the number of regions with different phase lags. A two-component developer employs the above-mentioned carrier.

Abstract: A toner for developing an electrostatic latent image, containing a colorant and a binder resin composed of two different resins (A) and (B), wherein resin (A) is substantially free of tetrahydrofuran insolubles, is selected from polyester resins and polyol resins and has such a molecular weight distribution according to gel permeation chromatography that (a) a main peak is present in a molecular weight of 3000 to 9,000 and (b) that portion of resin (A) having a molecular weight of 500 or less accounts for 4% or less based on a total weight of resin (A), wherein resin (B) is substantially free of tetrahydrofuran insolubles and is a polyester resin containing a diol component represented by the formula (1): 1

Abstract: A transfer device transfers a visual image from an image carrier to a recording medium. The transfer device includes a first transfer element that moves and receives the visual image from the image carrier on a first surface of the first transfer element, a second transfer element provided opposite to the first surface of the first transfer element to pinch and convey the recording medium through a secondary transfer nip part, a facing roller provided on a second surface of the first transfer element opposite to the first surface thereof, and a constant-current power supply that applies an electric current voltage to a core metal of the facing roller to transfer the visual image from the first transfer element to the recording medium. The electric current voltage applied to the core metal has a polarity equal to a polarity of the visual image and is subjected to a constant-current control.

Abstract: A color toner composition including at least toner particles including at least a binder resin; a colorant and a release agent dispersed in the binder resin; and a titania as an external additive, wherein the colorant has an average dispersion particle diameter not greater than 0.5 &mgr;m; the release agent and the binder resin are insoluble to each other; the toner particles satisfy the relationship: 0.05≦Dw/D4≦0.4, wherein Dw represents an average dispersion particle diameter of the release agent and D4 represents a weight-average particle diameter of the toner particles; and the titania has a segregation rate of from 0.5 to 5%.

Abstract: A toner including mother toner particles including at least two resins A and B and a wax each of which is incompatible with the others; and an external additive including at least one of a particulate inorganic material and a particulate resin, wherein the resins and wax form a sea-island structure in which the resin B is present like islands in a sea of the resin A and the wax is substantially included in the resin B while dispersed therein, and wherein the resin A does not include a component insoluble in tetrahydrofuran and has a weight average molecular weight of from 10,000 to 90,000.

Abstract: A toner, a developing method and apparatus is provided to satisfy both the low temperature fixation property and the hot offset property and that has a wide range of fixing temperature. The toner for an image formation comprises at least metal materials in a binding resin, wherein the toner is measured by a stand-alone type flow tester, and has a softening temperature of 65˜77.5° C., a flow beginning temperature of 100˜120° C., a melt temperature by a ½ method is 145˜195° C., and an average length of a short axis of a primary particle of the metal materials is 0.01-0.4 &mgr;m.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises a latent image support which supports an electrostatic latent image. A charging unit charges a surface of the image support. A latent image formation unit forms an electrostatic latent image on the image support surface. A developing unit develops the latent image with toner to form a toner image. A transfer unit transfers the toner image from the image support to a recording medium. A ransnsport unit transports the recording medium so that the image support surface is countered to a surface of the recording medium. The surface of the image support has a coefficient of friction ranging from 0.1 to 0.7 according to Euler belt method, and a difference between a speed of the image support and a speed of the recording medium is below 1%, and the image support has an outermost surface containing a filler and a binder resin.

Abstract: A toner for developing a latent electrostatic image to a toner image, including a binder resin, and a magnetic material which is blackened by coating the surface of a magnetic powder with a coloring agent, the magnetic material being in an amount of 10 wt. % to 40 wt. % of the entire weight of the toner, a method of forming an image, using a two-component developer containing the toner, an image formation apparatus using the two-component developer, and a toner container containing therein the toner, and an image formation apparatus equipped with the toner container are proposed.

Abstract: In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus of the type including a plurality of image carriers arranged along an image transfer belt and an image transferring device configured to transfer toner images of different colors from the image carriers to a sheet being conveyed by an image transfer belt or by way of the image transfer belt by applying a bias to the belt, a bias applying method of the present invention can measure a current leaking between a plurality of high-tension power supply sections or to the ends thereof as AC resistances between respective terminals and therefore to accurately measure the leak currents of DC components. Therefore, when relatively high DC components are selected, a difference in current between a plurality of power supply sections can be maintained constant.

Abstract: A toner including at least a binder resin; a colorant; and a charge controlling agent, in which the binder resin includes at least a polyester resin having a molecular weight distribution such that components having a molecular weight not greater than 500 are included in an amount of 4% by weight and at least a peak is present in a range of from 3,000 to 9,000 when measured by Gel Permeation Chromatography. In addition, the binder resin does not include a tetrahydrofuran-insoluble compound and the charge controlling agent is a resin charge controlling agent including at least units obtained from a monomer including a sulfonate group; an aromatic monomer including an electron absorption group; and an acrylic ester and/or a methacrylic ester monomer.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a cleaning device for cleaning an intermediate image transfer body. A cleaning blade included in the image transfer body is formed of fluorocarbon resin or a thin layer of fluorocarbon resin is formed on the surface of the intermediate image transfer body. Further, wax is coated on the intermediate image transfer body or wax or lubricant powder is contained in toner. A moving mechanism holds the cleaning blade spaced from the intermediate image transfer body at least when image formation is not under way.

Abstract: A toner for developing electrostatic latent images, including a matrix of a first resin selected from polyester resins, polyol resins and mixtures thereof, a plurality of domains of a second resin dispersed in the matrix and containing a wax. The amount of the wax is 2-15% by weight based on the weight of the toner The matrix is substantially free of domains of the second resin having a maximum diameter of greater than 2.0 &mgr;m. A part of the domains containing the wax having a maximum diameter of at least 0.2 &mgr;m constitutes a part of an outer surface of the toner.

Abstract: A toner for developing latent electrostatic images is provided which contains, in a binder resin, at least a coloring agent formed from a metal material. A saturation magnetization of the toner is 0.01 to 10 emu/g, and a true specific gravity thereof is 1.33 to 1.62 g/m3. Also provided are an electrostatic charge image developer containing the toner for developing latent electrostatic images, an image forming device, and an image forming method using the toner for developing latent electrostatic images.

Abstract: The electrophotographic toner according to the present invention comprises a binder resin, a colorant, and a negative charge control agent. The binder resin is polyester and/or polyol. The negative charge control agent comprises components which are (1) sulfonic-acid containing monomers, (2) aromatic monomers having electron-withdrawing groups, and (3) acrylate monomers and/or methacrylate monomers. In particular, substituted phenyl maleimides and substituted phenyl itaconimides are prefereably used as the aromatic monomers. Moreover, n-butyl (meth)acrylates and 2-ethylhexyl (meth)acrylates are prefereably used as the acrylate monomers and/or methacrylate monomers.

Abstract: A toner including mother toner particles including at least two resins A and B and a wax each of which is incompatible with the others; and an external additive including at least one of a particulate inorganic material and a particulate resin, wherein the resins and wax form a sea-island structure in which the resin B is present like islands in a sea of the resin A and the wax is substantially included in the resin B while dispersed therein, and wherein the resin A does not include a component insoluble in tetrahydrofuran and has a weight average molecular weight of from 10,000 to 90,000.

Abstract: A method for fixing full-color toner images on an image receiving member so that the fixed toner images selectively exhibit different glossinesses includes the step of bringing the transferred toner images into contact with a heater, with linear speeds being selectively switched in such a manner that the fixed toner images exhibit a mean surface roughness in a range of 9.5 to 16 &mgr;m at a linear speed (A), and the fixed toner images exhibit a mean surface roughness of less than 8 &mgr;m at a linear speed (B), wherein the linear speed (A) is in a range of 100 to 300 mm/sec, the linear speed (B) is lower than the linear speed (A) by 25 mm/sec or more, and the image fixing temperatures are equal at the linear speeds (A) and (B). A method for fixing full-color toner images with high glossiness on an image receiving member includes the step of bringing the transferred toner images into contact with a belt so that the fixed toner images exhibit a mean surface roughness of less than 8 &mgr;m.

Abstract: An electrophotographic toner, which is useful in an image forming method in which a toner image, which is formed on a latent image bearing member, is transferred onto an intermediate transfer member and then the transferred toner image is transferred onto a receiving material, including toner particles including a binder resin and a colorant, and a particulate fluorine-containing material.

Abstract: A two-component developer includes a magnetic carrier including magnetic carrier particles with an average particle diameter of 35 &mgr;m to 100 &mgr;m, and a toner including toner particles with a weight-average particle diameter of 6.0 &mgr;m to 11.5 &mgr;m, to which at least one additive is externally added thereto in an amount of 0.3 to 1.5 wt. % to the toner, the toner particles including (a) toner particles with a particle diameter of 5 &mgr;m or less with a content ratio of 15% or less by number, and (b) toner particles with such a particle diameter that is two times or greater than the weight-average particle diameter of the toner particles with a content ratio of 5% or less by volume, the toner particles satisfying a relationship of 0.60≦D25/D75≦0.85 as defined in the specification. A container in which the two-component developer is contained, and an electrophotographic image formation apparatus in which the container is incorporated are proposed.