An image forming apparatus is provided that includes: first and second electrostatic latent image bearers; first and second electrostatic latent image forming devices; first and second developing devices configured to develop first and second electrostatic latent images with a colored toner and a special-color toner to form a colored toner image and a special-color toner image, respectively; a primary transfer device configured to transfer the colored toner image and the special-color toner image onto an intermediate image bearer in an overlapping manner to form a composite toner image; a secondary transfer device configured to transfer the composite toner image onto a recording medium; and a fixing device configured to fix the composite toner image thereon. The special-color toner comprises plate-like and/or film-like pigments. An absolute difference in volume resistivity between the special-color toner and the colored toner is 0.30 log cm or less.

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: 30.04L*33.68, 1.75a*0.71, and 47.47b*45.08.

A yellow toner including a toner particle including a binder resin, a crystalline resin, and C.I. Pigment Yellow 180, a content of the C.I. Pigment Yellow 180 is 3% by mass or more and 15% by mass or less with respect to a mass of the toner, the C.I. Pigment Yellow 180 is in a form of plate-like particles each having a plate-like shape, and when the C.I. Pigment Yellow 180 is observed with a scanning electron microscope, the plate-like particles of the C.I. Pigment Yellow 180 satisfy the following relationships: S/Z10.0; and 50S300, where the S (nm) represents a number average of circle-equivalent diameters calculated from areas of surfaces having largest areas of the plate-like particles, and the Z (nm) represents a number average of widths in directions perpendicular to the surfaces having the largest areas of the plate-like particles.

A yellow toner which provides, even in small amounts, a sharper color and brighter gloss, and higher reflection density than ever before, and which has excellent light resistance. The yellow toner contains a binder resin and a yellow colorant, wherein, as the yellow colorant, at least one of the compound A represented by the following general formula (1) and the compound B represented by the following general formula (2), and the compound C represented by the following formula (3) are contained:

##STR00001##

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 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 method for producing a chemically prepared magenta toner composition according to one example embodiment includes combining and agglomerating a first polymer emulsion with a magenta colorant dispersion containing a single azo magenta pigment and a release agent dispersion to form toner cores. A borax coupling agent is added to the toner cores. A second polymer emulsion is combined and agglomerated with the toner cores having the borax coupling agent to form toner shells around the toner cores. The aggregated toner cores and toner shells are fused to form magenta toner particles. The single azo magenta pigment in the magenta pigment dispersion does not aggregate into clusters on the outer surface of the surface core.

The magenta toner is excellent in image density, has an enhanced chargeability, and can be produced at a low cost. The magenta toner includes a binder resin and a magenta colorant. A compound A represented by the following general formula (1) and C.I. Solvent Violet 59 are contained as the magenta colorant.

A method for producing a chemically prepared magenta toner composition according to one example embodiment includes combining and agglomerating a first polymer emulsion with a magenta colorant dispersion containing a single azo magenta pigment and a release agent dispersion to form toner cores. A borax coupling agent is added to the toner cores. A second polymer emulsion is combined and agglomerated with the toner cores having the borax coupling agent to form toner shells around the toner cores. The aggregated toner cores and toner shells are fused to form magenta toner particles. The single azo magenta pigment in the magenta pigment dispersion does not aggregate into clusters on the outer surface of the surface core.

A toner for electrostatic image development contains: toner base particles containing at least a nonionic surfactant, a binder resin, and a release agent; and an external additive. The content of the nonionic surfactant is from 0.05% by mass to 1% by mass inclusive based on the total mass of the toner, and the external additive contains tin oxide particles.

The invention relates to the use of pigment mixtures which contain at least one pigment of formulas (la) and (lb), wherein variables X.sup.1, X.sup.2, X.sup.3, X.sup.4, Y.sup.1, Y.sup.2, Z.sup.1 and Z.sup.2 are as ##STR00001##
defined and wherein the pigment mixtures are useful as dyes in printing methods.