A toner set and an image forming method, both of which can print a full-color image that is superior in gradation and color reproducibility of an image including a higher-order color and superior in continuous printing durability. When one color toner selected from the group consisting of the color toners included in the toner set is defined as a first toner and other color toners are defined as second toners, an internal friction angle θ1 (°) of the first toner and an internal friction angle θ2 (°) of each of the second toners satisfy relationships represented by the following formulae (1) and (2), and a first image developed with the first toner and second images developed with the second toners are transferred in this order on a recording medium or a transfer medium to form an image including a higher-order color:

θ1<θ2  Formula (1):

1°≤θ2−θ1≤3°.  Formula (2):

A fixing apparatus includes an endless first rotary member, a heating element, a second rotary member configured to form a nip portion, and a nip member configured to receive radiant heat from the heating element and heat the nip portion. The nip member includes a main-body portion that contains aluminum or aluminum alloy and a protective layer that includes an oxide film formed on a surface of the main-body portion. The main-body portion contains a heat receiving surface that faces the heating element and receives radiant heat from the heating element, and a rubbed surface that is rubbed against the inner circumferential surface of the first rotary member. The protective layer contains coloring agent that causes an emissivity of the heat receiving surface and the rubbed surface to be higher than an emissivity of a natural color oxide film.

An object of the present invention is to provide a compound exhibiting a cyan color having properties such as high chroma, high light fastness, and high solubility. The compound is represented by the following General Formula (1). ##STR00001##
In Formula (1), R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 each independently represent a linear, branched, or cyclic alkyl group having 6 or more and 12 or fewer carbon atoms, R.sub.3 represents a 4-alkylphenyl group, a 4-halogenated phenyl group, or a 3-alkoxyphenyl group, R.sub.4 represents a linear, branched, or cyclic alkyl group having 1 or more and 8 or fewer carbon atoms, and R.sub.5 represents a linear, branched, or cyclic alkyl group having 1 or more and 8 or fewer carbon atoms or a benzyl group.

A toner comprising a toner particle comprising an organic pigment and a binder resin, wherein, in a solid-state NMR measurement at 60° C. using a solid fraction obtained by specific procedure for dissolving the toner in chloroform as a sample, a transverse relaxation time T2 of a peak observed between 1.5 and 2.5 ppm is from 0.08 to 0.13 ms.

A fixing apparatus includes an endless first rotary member, a heating element, a second rotary member configured to form a nip portion, and a nip member configured to receive radiant heat from the heating element and heat the nip portion. The nip member includes a main-body portion that contains aluminum or aluminum alloy and a protective layer that includes an oxide film formed on a surface of the main-body portion. The main-body portion contains a heat receiving surface that faces the heating element and receives radiant heat from the heating element, and a rubbed surface that is rubbed against the inner circumferential surface of the first rotary member. The protective layer contains coloring agent that causes an emissivity of the heat receiving surface and the rubbed surface to be higher than an emissivity of a natural color oxide film.

An electrostatic image developing toner includes toner particles containing a binder resin. In a differential scanning calorimetry curve of the toner particles, Tg1 is 58° C. or more and 68° C. or less, and Tg1−Tg2 is 20° C. or more and 40° C. or less, where Tg1 is a lowest onset temperature in an endothermic change during a first temperature increase, and Tg2 is a lowest onset temperature in an endothermic change during a second temperature increase.

Provided is a toner for which the heat-resistant storability and the low-temperature fixability are able to co-exist at higher levels and for which the temporal stability of the low-temperature fixability is also excellent. The toner has a toner particle that contains a binder resin and a pigment, and this binder resin contains a polyester resin that has a specific structure and specific properties.

A fixing apparatus includes an endless first rotary member, a heating element, a second rotary member configured to form a nip portion, and a nip member configured to receive radiant heat from the heating element and heat the nip portion. The nip member includes a main-body portion that contains aluminum or aluminum alloy and a protective layer that includes an oxide film formed on a surface of the main-body portion. The main-body portion contains a heat receiving surface that faces the heating element and receives radiant heat from the heating element, and a rubbed surface that is rubbed against the inner circumferential surface of the first rotary member. The protective layer contains coloring agent that causes an emissivity of the heat receiving surface and the rubbed surface to be higher than an emissivity of a natural color oxide film.

A toner container used in an image forming apparatus including an exposure unit with a light emitting diode light source. The toner container including a container body, and a cyan toner stored in the container body. The cyan toner includes a binder resin, at least one pigment, a charge control agent, and an external additive. The at least one pigment includes at least Pigment Blue. A lightness L*, a hue a*, and a hue b* of the cyan toner in a powder state satisfy: 30.04≤L*≤33.68, −1.75≤a*≤0.71, and −47.47≤b*≤−45.08.

A toner set for electrostatic image development includes a cyan toner, a magenta toner, and a yellow toner, wherein the Vicat softening temperatures of the toners are respectively in the range of from about 30° C. to about 60° C., and among the toners, the difference between the Vicat softening temperature of the toner having the highest Vicat softening temperature and the Vicat softening temperature of the toner having the lowest Vicat softening temperature is from about 1° C. to about 5° C.