A carrier for forming an electrophotographic image is provided. The carrier includes a core particle comprising a manganese-based ferrite particle having an apparent density of from 2.0 to 2.2 g/cm.sup.3 and a magnetization of from 44 to 52 emu/g in a magnetic field of 500 Oe; and a coating layer coating a surface of the core particle. The coating layer contains a carbon black, an inorganic particle A, and an inorganic particle B. The inorganic particle A and the carbon black each have a concentration gradient in a thickness direction of the coating layer. A concentration of the inorganic particle A increases toward a surface of the coating layer, and a concentration of the carbon black decreases toward the surface of the coating layer.

A method for producing a liquid developer containing a resin binder containing a resin having an acidic group, a colorant, a basic dispersant, and an insulating liquid, including: step I: stirring raw materials containing the resin binder, the colorant, and the basic dispersant at a temperature of equal to or higher than a glass transition temperature of the resin binder; and step II: adding dropwise from 50 to 500 parts by mass of the insulating liquid to a stirred mixture of the step I, based on 100 parts by mass of the stirred mixture at a temperature of equal to or higher than a glass transition temperature of the resin binder, thereby carrying out a phase inversion emulsification, to provide a dispersion of toner particles. The liquid developer obtainable by the method of the present invention is suitably used in development or the like of latent images formed in, for example, electrophotography, electrostatic recording method, electrostatic printing method or the like.

An image forming apparatus includes a first toner image forming unit, a second toner image forming unit, and a transfer section. The first toner image forming unit forms a first toner image with use of a first toner. The first toner has a complex viscosity that falls within a range from 625 Pascal-seconds to 3860 Pascal-seconds, both inclusive, at a temperature of 100 degrees centigrade. The second toner image forming unit forms a second toner image with use of a second toner. The transfer section transfers the first toner image onto a print medium, and transfers the second toner image onto the print medium in a region that overlaps a portion or all of a region where the first toner image has been transferred. The print medium includes a polymer compound.

An image forming apparatus includes an image holding member, a charging unit that charges the surface of the image holding member, an electrostatic latent image forming unit that forms an electrostatic latent image on the charged surface of the image holding member, a developing unit that develops the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image, a transferring unit that transfers the toner image to a first side of a recording medium, a fixing unit that allows the recording medium having the transferred toner image to pass through a nipping region to fix the toner image, a first charging unit that faces the first side of the recording medium and that charges particles, and a second charging unit that charges a second side of the recording medium to the opposite polarity to the charged particles after the recording medium passes through the nipping region.

An image forming apparatus includes an image holding member, a charging unit that charges the surface of the image holding member, an electrostatic latent image forming unit that forms an electrostatic latent image on the charged surface of the image holding member, a developing unit that develops the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image, a transferring unit that transfers the toner image to a first side of a recording medium, a fixing unit that allows the recording medium having the transferred toner image to pass through a nipping region to fix the toner image, a first charging unit that faces the first side of the recording medium and that charges particles, and a second charging unit that charges a second side of the recording medium to the opposite polarity to the charged particles after the recording medium passes through the nipping region.

A binary ink developer (BID) assembly for a liquid electrophotography (LEP) printing device can include a developer roller having an electrically insulating exterior coating that receives ink from an ink supply and transfers the received ink to a photoconductive imaging cylinder in accordance with an electrostatic image on the imaging cylinder. A charge-specified boundary condition can exist at the boundary between the exterior coating and the ink. Electrically conductive ink may not be transferred to the imaging cylinder at background portions of the electrostatic image.

A binary ink developer (BID) assembly for a liquid electrophotography (LEP) printing device can include a developer roller having an electrically insulating exterior coating that receives ink from an ink supply and transfers the received ink to a photoconductive imaging cylinder in accordance with an electrostatic image on the imaging cylinder. A charge-specified boundary condition can exist at the boundary between the exterior coating and the ink. Electrically conductive ink may not be transferred to the imaging cylinder at background portions of the electrostatic image.

A liquid developer comprising a carrier liquid, a toner particle insoluble in the carrier liquid, and a polymer having a primary amino group and soluble in the carrier liquid, wherein the toner particle comprises a polyester resin having an acidic group, an acid value of the polyester resin is at least 5 mg KOH/g, a pKa of the acidic group is not more than 3.4, and the polymer having a primary amino group has a primary amino group at a position other than the end of a main chain of the polymer, and method of producing thereof.

A binary ink developer (BID) assembly for a liquid electrophotography (LEP) printing device can include a developer roller having an electrically insulating exterior coating that receives ink from an ink supply and transfers the received ink to a photoconductive imaging cylinder in accordance with an electrostatic image on the imaging cylinder. A charge-specified boundary condition can exist at the boundary between the exterior coating and the ink. Electrically conductive ink may not be transferred to the imaging cylinder at background portions of the electrostatic image.

A binary ink developer (BID) assembly for a liquid electrophotography (LEP) printing device can include a developer roller having an electrically insulating exterior coating that receives ink from an ink supply and transfers the received ink to a photoconductive imaging cylinder in accordance with an electrostatic image on the imaging cylinder. A charge-specified boundary condition can exist at the boundary between the exterior coating and the ink. Electrically conductive ink may not be transferred to the imaging cylinder at background portions of the electrostatic image.