Multicolor image forming method

A multicolor image forming method for an electrophotographic system, comprising

• determining a surface roughness of a transfer material upon which a color image is to be formed,
• determining an amount of developed transparent toner per unit area of the color image based upon the surface roughness of the transfer material, wherein the amount of the developed transparent toner is a weight of the developed transparent toner per unit area on the photosensitive member of a solid image,
• forming a color image upon a photosensitive member in the unit area with color toner and the determined amount of developed transparent toner, and
• transferring the color image to the transfer material.

Image forming apparatus for forming a color image on a transfer material from multiple toners comprising at least cyan toner, magenta toner, yellow toner and transparent toner, the apparatus comprising

• a device which receives input identifying a kind of the transfer material and retrieves stored data on the surface roughness of the kind of the transfer material,
• a latent image holder for holding a latent image;
• a developing apparatus for each of the multiple toners, wherein a developing apparatus for the transparent toner varies the amount of developed transparent toner based upon the surface roughness of the transfer material, wherein the amount of developed transparent material is a weight of the developed transparent toner per unit area on the latent image holder of a solid image, and wherein the color image is developed on the latent image holder, and
• a transfer station for transferring the developed color image to the transfer material.

Image forming apparatus capable of use with a transparent toner transferred on a transfer material comprising:

• a latent image holder for holding a latent image thereon;
• a developer for developing the transparent toner on the latent image in a predetermined amount of the transparent toner, wherein the amount of the developed transparent toner is less than 0.8 mg/cm when a surface roughness Rz of the transfer material is less than 5.0 mm;
• and
• a transfer station for transferring the transparent toner to the transfer material.

Image forming apparatus capable of use with a transparent toner transferred on a transfer material comprising:

• a latent image holder for holding a latent image thereon;
• a developer for developing the transparent toner on the latent 5 image in a predetermined amount of the transparent toner, wherein the amount of the developed transparent toner is less than or equal to 0.15.multidot.Rz.multidot.W;
• and
• a transfer station for transferring the transparent toner to the transfer material.