An image forming apparatus includes: an image bearing member, a developing device, and a controller configured to execute an operation in a forced consumption mode. The controller includes a difference calculating portion, an integrating portion, and a flag. In a case where the flag is set when a predetermined time is elapsed after the integrated value exceeds the predetermined threshold, the image formation on the predetermined number of the recording materials is effected and then the controller executes the operation in the forced consumption mode, and in a case where the flag is reset when the predetermined time is elapsed after the integrated value exceeds the predetermined threshold, the image formation on the predetermined number of the recording materials is effected and then the controller continues an image forming operation without executing the operation in the forced consumption mode.

A carrier 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 resin, a conductive particle including tungsten tin oxide, and a chargeable filler.

A two-component developer includes a carrier containing carrier particles and a toner containing toner particles. The carrier particles include carrier cores and coat layers covering the surfaces of the carrier cores. The coat layers contain silicone resin. The carrier particles have surfaces with a static friction coefficient of at least 0.10 and no greater than 0.22. The toner particles include toner mother particles and an external additive attached to the surfaces of the toner mother particles. The external additive includes resin particles. The resin particles have a number average primary particle diameter of at least 35 nm and no greater than 160 nm. The resin particles have a blocking rate of at least 17% by mass and no greater than 42% by mass, as measured using a mesh sieve with an opening of 75 m after 5-minite pressure application at a temperature of 160 C. and a pressure of 0.1 kgf/mm.sup.2.

An image forming apparatus includes a developing unit attachment part to which developing units are to be attached, each of the developing units being associated with a first criteria for performing developer refreshing and a second criteria for performing developer refreshing, wherein the second criteria is defined so as to be met prior to the first criteria, and a controller configured to control a timing of developer refreshing executed for each of the developing units according to the first and second criteria values thereof. When the first criteria for performing developer refreshing is met for at least one of the developing units, the controller causes developer refreshing to be performed for all developing units whose first or second criteria is met.

An image forming apparatus includes a developing unit attachment part to which developing units are to be attached, each of the developing units being associated with a first criteria for performing developer refreshing and a second criteria for performing developer refreshing, wherein the second criteria is defined so as to be met prior to the first criteria, and a controller configured to control a timing of developer refreshing executed for each of the developing units according to the first and second criteria values thereof. When the first criteria for performing developer refreshing is met for at least one of the developing units, the controller causes developer refreshing to be performed for all developing units whose first or second criteria is met.

Only both end portions of a developer regulating member are supported by a developing container such that the developer regulating member cannot rotate, a size of an area of a cross section orthogonal to a rotational axis of a developer bearing member of the developer regulating member is smaller than 28 mm.sup.2, a magnitude of second moment of area in a normal direction of the developer bearing member with respect. to a centroid of the cross section orthogonal to the rotational axis of the developer bearing member of the developer regulating member is larger than 25 mm.sup.4, and a magnitude of a second moment of area in a tangent direction of the developer bearing member with respect to the centroid of the cross section orthogonal to the rotational axis of the developer bearing member of the developer regulating member is larger than 70 mm.sup.4.

An image forming apparatus includes a developing unit that contains an electrostatic charge image developer which contains a carrier and an electrostatic charge image developing toner, wherein the toner includes toner particles which contain a polyester resin, which is a polycondensate of a polycarboxylic acid and a polyol, and has a glass transition temperature of 50 C. to 70 C., the polyol includes a polyol not having a bisphenol A structure in a range of 50% by weight to 100% by weight, and a melt viscosity A of the toner at 110 C. after storage for 2 hours under the environment of absolute humidity of 82.7 (g/m.sup.3) and a melt viscosity B of the toner at 110 C. after storage for 2 hours under the environment of absolute humidity of 16.5 (g/m.sup.3) each are in the ranges specified in the specification.

An image forming apparatus includes: an image bearing member, a developing device, and a controller configured to execute an operation in a forced consumption mode. The controller includes a difference calculating portion, an integrating portion, and a flag. In a case where the flag is set when a predetermined time is elapsed after the integrated value exceeds the predetermined threshold, the image formation on the predetermined number of the recording materials is effected and then the controller executes the operation in the forced consumption mode, and in a case where the flag is reset when the predetermined time is elapsed after the integrated value exceeds the predetermined threshold, the image formation on the predetermined number of the recording materials is effected and then the controller continues an image forming operation without executing the operation in the forced consumption mode.

An image forming method forms a color toner image and a white toner image using an image forming apparatus having a plurality of developing machines. The color toner image is formed using a color developer containing a first carrier and at least one color toner selected from a yellow toner, a magenta toner, and a cyan toner. The white toner image is formed using a white developer containing a second carrier and a white toner containing at least titanium oxide as a pigment. Formula (1):
Iw<Ic(1)
is satisfied. Ic (A) is a dynamic current value of the first carrier at 100 V and Iw (A) is a dynamic current value of the second carrier at 100 V.

An electrostatic charge image developer includes a toner that includes a toner particle; and a carrier, wherein the toner particle contains a brilliant pigment, an exposed amount of the brilliant pigment contained in the toner particle is from 0.5% to 5%, the carrier has a core particle and a coating layer which covers a surface of the core particle, the coating layer contains a silicone resin and a siloxane oligomer, and a content of the siloxane oligomer is from 0.1 ppm to 500 ppm with respect to a total weight of the coating layer.