Image forming method

An image forming method in which an image is formed by removing residual charge from the image on an image recording medium, comprising:

• formation of an image for forming a toner image by fixing a toner on the image recording medium;
• and
• application of voltage from a voltage applier, the voltage having a polarity reverse to a polarity of a surface potential of the toner image,
• wherein the toner includes toner base particles with a core-shell structure and an external additive,
• wherein the toner base particles include an amorphous resin and a crystalline polyester resin,
• wherein, when an absorption spectrum of the toner is measured by a total reflection method using a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analyzer, the absorption spectrum has a maximum absorption peak within an absorption wavenumber range of 690 to 710 cm−1 and a maximum absorption peak within an absorption wavenumber range of 1,190 to 1,220 cm−1, and
• wherein W is within a range of 0.1 to 1.10, wherein W represents a ratio of P2 to P1, P1 represents a height of a maximum absorption peak within an absorption wavenumber range of 690 to 710 cm−1, and P2 represents a height of a maximum absorption peak within an absorption wavenumber range of 1,190 to 1,220 cm−1,
• wherein an amount of the crystalline polyester resin is within a range of 4 to 20 mass % with respect to a total amount of binder resin in the toner base particles,
• wherein the crystalline polyester resin is an aliphatic crystalline polyester resin or includes a hybrid crystalline polyester resin in which a crystalline polyester polymerization segment and a vinyl polymerization segment having a constituting unit derived from styrene are chemically bound to each other, and
• wherein a melting temperature of the crystalline polyester resin is within a range of 60 to 90° C.