An electrophotographic developer is provided. The electrophotographic developer comprises a toner and a carrier. The toner contains alumina particles. The carrier comprises a core particle and a resin layer coating a surface of the core particle. The carrier has a volume average particle diameter (Dv) of from 45 to 70 m and a bulk density of from 2.1 to 2.5 g/cm.sup.3.

Provided is a positive-charging toner having a toner particle that contains a binder resin, the binder resin contains a polymer A having a first monomer unit derived from a first polymerizable monomer, and a second monomer unit derived from a second polymerizable monomer, the first polymerizable monomer is at least one selected from the group consisting of (meth)acrylic acid esters having a C18 to C36 alkyl group, the content of the first monomer unit in the polymer A is 5.0 to 60.0 mol % and the content of the second monomer unit is 20.0 to 95.0 mol %, SP.sub.11 of the first monomer unit and SP.sub.21 of the second monomer unit satisfy 3.00(SP.sub.21SP.sub.11)25.00, and the work function of the toner is 5.0 to 5.4 V.

The present invention provides an electrophotographic image forming method using an electrophotographic photoconductor. The electrophotographic photoconductor has a protective layer. The surface of the protective layer has a projection structure. The average distance between neighboring projections among a plurality of projections R is set within the range of 100 to 250 nm. A toner including titanate compound particles attached to toner base particles is used.

A toner has a toner particle containing a resin having an acid group, an aluminum pigment, and a fatty acid metal salt, wherein an acid value of the resin having an acid group is in a range of from 5 mg KOH/g to 25 mg KOH/g, and an amount of the resin having the acid group is 50% by mass or more; an amount of the aluminum pigment is in a range of from 10% by mass to 40% by mass; the fatty acid metal salt is represented by formula (RCOO).sub.pM(OH).sub.q; and an amount thereof is in a range of from 1 part by mass to 10 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the aluminum pigment.

A polymeric composition including a copolymer comprising a first monomer having a high carbon to oxygen ratio of from about 3 to about 8; a second monomer comprising two or more vinyl groups, wherein the second monomer is present in the copolymer in an amount of from greater than about 8 percent by weight to about 40 percent by weight, based on the weight of the copolymer; and optionally, a third monomer comprising an amine, wherein the third monomer is present in an amount of from about 0.1 percent by weight to about 1.5 percent by weight, based on the weight of the copolymer; and a surfactant, wherein the surfactant has a minimum surface tension at critical micelle concentration of less than about 30 mN/m. A toner including the copolymer as a toner surface additive. An emulsion aggregation toner process including the copolymer as a toner surface additive.

Provided is a toner for developing electrostatic images which is less likely to cause toner ejection and is excellent in printing durability. The toner comprises colored resin particles and external additives, wherein the external additives comprise an external additive A and an external additive B; wherein the external additive A is silica particles being surface-hydrophobized with a specific hydrophobizing agent and having a specific number average particle diameter; and wherein the external additive B is silicone resin particles having a ratio (BS/TS) of a BET specific surface area (BS) to a theoretical specific surface area (TS) in a range of from 3.0 to 30.0, and having a specific number average particle diameter.

Provided is a toner for developing electrostatic images which is less likely to cause toner ejection and is excellent in printing durability. The toner comprises colored resin particles and external additives, wherein the external additives comprise an external additive A and an external additive B; wherein the external additive A is silica particles being surface-hydrophobized with a specific hydrophobizing agent and having a specific number average particle diameter; and wherein the external additive B is silicone resin particles having a ratio (BS/TS) of a BET specific surface area (BS) to a theoretical specific surface area (TS) in a range of from 3.0 to 30.0, and having a specific number average particle diameter.

A coating material which is processable by non-impact printing to form at least a part of a coating layer representing an image, the coating material having an amorphous resin portion, is curable and is configured for being applied with a thickness of at least 15 m, the coating material having one or more of the following: a polyester resin having at least one incorporated acid monomer and wherein at least 10 weight percent of the at least one incorporated acid monomer is isophthalic acid; a polyester resin containing 1 to 100 w-% of cycloaliphatic glycol compounds with respect to the total weight of the glycol compounds of the polyester resin component; an acrylic resin; a fluorine containing polymer; a polyurethane resin.

An image forming apparatus is provided that includes: an image bearer; a charger; an irradiator; a developing device containing a toner; and a transfer device. The image bearer has a Martens hardness of from 185 to 250 N/m.sup.2. The toner satisfies a relation 0.13X/Dn0.16, where X [m] represents an average value of an amount of deformation of the toner by micro-indentation at when a load reaches 3.0010.sup.4 N at a loading rate of 3.010.sup.5 N/sec under an environment of 32 degrees C. and 40% RH, and Dn [m] represents a number average particle diameter of the toner. The toner contains an external additive comprising silica particles and particles composed mainly of strontium titanate. The particles composed mainly of strontium titanate further contain a third element M selected from the group consisting of La, Mg, Ca, Sn, and Si.

A white toner comprising a toner particle including a binder resin, an inorganic white pigment, and a polyvalent metal salt compound, wherein the inorganic white pigment has an acidic group at a surface thereof; an amount of the inorganic white pigment in the toner particle is 10% to 50% by volume; the polyvalent metal salt compound is a specific compound; an absolute value of the difference between an SP value (J/cm.sup.3).sup.1/2 of the binder resin and that of the polyvalent metal salt compound is 0.0 to 6.0; and an amount of the polyvalent metal salt compound, an amount of a polyvalent metal, the amount of the inorganic white pigment, and an amount of the acidic group at a surface of the inorganic white pigment satisfy a specific relationship.