Image forming method using flattened spheroidal toner

An image forming method comprising the steps of:

• developing an electrostatic latent image on an image forming body employing a developing agent composed of flattened spheroidal toner particles to form a toner image;
• transferring the toner image formed on the image forming body onto a transfer material;
• and
• fixing the toner image on the transfer material by one of a fixing device having a fixing roller having a heating means and a pressing roller, a fixing device having a fixing roller having a heating means and a pressure belt, and a fixing device having a fixing belt entrained between a fixing roller containing a heating means and a first fixing roller and a second fixing roller facing the first fixing roller through the fixing belt,
• wherein the flattened spheroidal toner particles satisfy the following conditions:
• r2/r1 is not less than 0.6 and not more than 1.0;
• d/r2 is not less than 0.1 and not more than 0.5;
• r2 is not less than 5 μm and not more than 20 μm;
• and
• r1 is not less than 5 μm and not more than 20 μm,
• wherein r1 represents an average length of a major axis of each of the flattened toner particles, r2 represents an average length of a minor axis of each of the flattened toner particles, and d represents an average thickness of each of the flattened toner particles,
• wherein the developing agent is a single-component developing agent composed of the flattened toner particles, each of the flattened toner particles is attached onto the image forming body in the developing step and the transfer material in the transferring step in such a manner that a surface perpendicular to a direction of the thickness of each of the flattened toner particles comes into contact with a surface of the image forming body and a surface of the transfer material.

An image forming method comprising the steps of:

• developing an electrostatic latent image on an image forming body employing a developing agent composed of flattened spheroidal toner particles to form a toner image;
• transferring the toner image formed on the image forming body onto a transfer material;
• and
• fixing the toner image on the transfer material by one of a fixing device having a fixing roller having a heating means and a pressing roller, a fixing device having a fixing roller having a heating means and pressure belt, and a fixing device having a fixing belt entrained between a fixing roller containing a heating means and a first fixing roller and a second fixing roller facing the first fixing roller through the fixing belt,
• wherein the flattened spheroidal toner particles satisfy the following conditions:
• r2/r1 is not less than 0.6 and not more than 1.0;
• d/r2 is not less than 0.1 and not more than 0.5;
• r2 is not less than 5 μm and not more than 20 μm;
• and
• r1 is not less than 5 μm and not more than 20 μm,
• wherein r1 represents an average length of a major axis of each of the flattened toner particles, r2 represents an average length of a minor axis of each of the flattened toner particles, and d represents an average thickness of each of the flattened toner particles, wherein said fixing step comprises:
• forming an electric field in the fixing device in such a manner that a surface perpendicular to a direction of the thickness of each of the flattened toner particles comes into contact with a surface of the transfer material;
• and
• fixing the flattened toner particles attached to the transfer material thereon while applying pressure to the transfer material.