Toner for developing electrostatic images and image forming method

An image forming method, comprising:

• a charging step of charging an image-bearing member,
• an electrostatic image forming step of forming an electrostatic image on the charged image-bearing member;
• a developing step of developing the electrostatic image with a toner carried on a developer-carrying member to form a toner image on the image bearing member,
• a first transfer step of transferring the toner image on the image-bearing member to an intermediate transfer member,
• a second transfer step of transferring the toner image on the intermediate transfer member onto a recording material, and
• a fixing step of heat-fixing the toner image on the recording material;
• wherein
• the toner comprises toner particles each containing a binder resin, a colorant and a wax;
• the toner has a number-average particle size of 2-6 μm and a standard deviation in particle size of below 2.6 μm based on a number-basis distribution of circle-equivalent diameters, an average circularity of 0.970-0.995 and a standard deviation in circularity of below 0.030 based on a circularity frequency distribution, and a residual monomer content of at most 500 ppm;
• and
• the toner particles have such a microtexture as to provide a particle cross section as observed through a transmission electron microscope (TEM) exhibiting a matrix of the binder resin and a particle of the wax dispersed in a discrete form in the matrix of the binder resin.