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.

A high quality image excellent in low-temperature fixability and good in color stability can be formed by an image forming method of the present invention. In the image forming method, an image is formed by an electrophotographic method using toners of plural colors. Each of the toners of the plural colors contains a crystalline resin, methanol concentrations (%) at transmittance of 50% obtained for methanol wettability evaluation of the toners of the plural colors all fall in a range of 15 to 60%, and assuming that a maximum value and a minimum value of the methanol concentrations (%) at transmittance of 50% obtained for the methanol wettability evaluation of the toners of the plural colors are respectively WH(%) and WL(%), a relationship of 4≦WH−WL≦30 is satisfied.

An image forming apparatus includes a first image forming unit that forms a yellow image by an electrostatic charge image developing yellow toner; a second image forming unit that forms a magenta image by an electrostatic charge image developing magenta toner; a transfer unit that transfers the yellow image and the magenta image to a recording medium; and a fixing unit that fixes the yellow image and the magenta image to the recording medium, wherein a maximum absorption wavelength λmax (M) of the electrostatic charge image developing magenta toner at a wavelength of 360 nm to 760 nm is from 530 nm to 580 nm, and when an absorbance of the maximum absorption wavelength λmax (M) is standardized to 1, an absorbance at a wavelength of 450 nm is 0.20 or less and an absorbance at a wavelength of 400 nm is 0.10 or less.

The present invention relates to a toner for electrostatic charge image development, including: a toner base particle having at least a binder resin, a releasing agent, and a colorant, wherein the following formula (1) is satisfied wherein a maximum value and a minimum value of a dielectric loss tangent tan δ, which are obtained by measuring at a frequency in the range of 1 kHz to 100 kHz under the condition at a temperature of 20° C. and a relative humidity of 50% RH, are defined as tan δ.sub.max and tan δ.sub.min, respectively. According to the present invention, a toner for electrostatic charge image development, with which the rising of the toner charge amount is improved while ensuring the low temperature fixability, and a high quality image having less density unevenness can be obtained even during the image forming at a high speed and a high printing rate, is provided.

Frequency showing tan δ.sub.max<Frequency showing tan δ.sub.min  (1)

Provided is a magenta toner which shows sharper color and higher reflection density than ever before, which is excellent in balance between low-temperature fixability and heat-resistant shelf stability, and which has excellent printing durability. Also provided is a method for producing the magenta toner. The magenta toner contains a binder resin and a magenta colorant, wherein a magenta pigment A, which is obtained by surface-treating a pigment represented by the following formula (1) with a metal rosinate, is contained as the magenta colorant; wherein a content of the magenta pigment A is from 1 part by mass to 5 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the binder resin; and wherein the metal rosinate is contained at from 1 part by mass to 7 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the magenta pigment A:

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Provided is a compound that is fluidized by light irradiation and reversibly non-fluidized, and is not significantly colored.

Provided is a photoresponsive compound represented by the following general formula (1), the photoresponsive compound being fluidized by light irradiation and reversibly non-fluidized:

R.sub.1—Z.sub.1═Z.sub.2—R.sub.2  General formula (1) wherein Z.sub.1 and Z.sub.2 are N or CH, while Z.sub.1≠Z.sub.2, R.sub.1 contains an aromatic hydrocarbon structure, R.sub.2 contains an aromatic heterocyclic structure, and a hydrogen atom is bonded to at least one carbon atom bonded adjacent to a carbon atom in the aromatic heterocyclic structure bonded to the Z.sub.2.

An electrostatic charge image developing white toner includes a white toner particle and a yellow toner particle that includes an organic yellow pigment, wherein a content ratio (by number) of the yellow toner particles to all of toner particles included in the toner is from 0.01% by number to 3% by number.

An electrostatic latent image developing toner includes a plurality of toner particles each having: a sea-like domain substantially formed from a plurality of resins including at least a polyester resin containing an alcohol component having a carbon number of 2-6; and a plurality of island-like domains distributed in an island-like pattern in the sea-like domain. The island-like domains are substantially formed from a resin containing a nigrosine pigment. A dispersion diameter of the island-like domains is 0.1-1.0 μm. The polyester resin containing the alcohol component having a carbon number of 2-6 is contained in the sea-like domain in an amount of 5-50% by mass relative to a total amount of constituent resins (the plurality of resins). A ratio of an SP value of the resins forming the sea-like domain to an SP value of the resin forming the island-like domain is no greater than 0.98 or at least 1.20.

An object of the present invention is to provide an electrostatic image developing toner including toner particles containing: an amorphous resin including an amorphous vinyl resin; and a crystalline resin, wherein the toner particles contain: a coloring agent including C. I. Pigment Yellow 74; and alkoxy aniline with an amount in the range of 0.1 to 50.0 mass ppm in the toner particles.

A carrier for developing electrostatic latent images is provided. The carrier includes a magnetic core particle and a resin layer coating a surface of the magnetic core particle. The resin layer includes a particulate material A having a volume average particle diameter (a) and a particulate material B having a volume average particle diameter (b). The volume average particle diameter (a) of the particulate material A is the largest among volume average particle diameters of all particulate materials included in the resin layer, and an inequation 100≧(a)/(b)≧5 is satisfied. The particulate material A is barium sulfate.