A carrier for developing an electrostatic charge image has magnetic particles and a resin coating that covers the magnetic particles and contains at least one lubricant. The resin coating has a dispersed phase of the lubricant and meets requirement (1). Requirement (1): the lubricant content in a top layer>the lubricant content in a middle layer>the lubricant content in a bottom layer The top, middle, and bottom layers are of the resin coating divided into three in the direction of thickness, and the lubricant content is the percentage area of the dispersed phase of the lubricant in a cross-section of the layer taken along the thickness thereof.

The invention provides a process for preparing core-shell composite particles comprising a polyester, polymerized ethylenically unsaturated silane compounds, and optionally a hydrophobic surface treatment. The invention further provides a composite particle comprising a polyester and a radically polymerized ethylenically unsaturated silane compound.

The invention provides a process for preparing core-shell composite particles comprising a polyester, polymerized ethylenically unsaturated silane compounds, and optionally a hydrophobic surface treatment. The invention further provides a composite particle comprising a polyester and a radically polymerized ethylenically unsaturated silane compound.

To provide a magnetic core material and carrier for electrophotographic developer, which have small environmental dependence of the electric resistance, can suppress the carrier scattering, and can stably provide good images; a developer contains the carrier; and methods for producing them. The magnetic core material satisfying a value of Formula (1): a+b×10+c+d+e+f, being from 20 to 150, when a fluoride ion amount is denoted by a (ppm), a chloride ion amount is denoted by b (ppm), a bromide ion amount is denoted by c (ppm), a nitrite ion amount is denoted by d (ppm), a nitrate ion amount is denoted by e (ppm), and a sulfate ion amount is denoted by f (ppm), which are measured by a combustion ion chromatography method.

An electrostatic image developing toner includes a toner particle, an external additive A, and an external additive B. At least the external additive A is present on the surface of the toner particles. At least the external additive B is present on the external additive A. The number of peaks of the external additive B on the external additive A is 5 or more and 100 or less per 30 μm peripheral length of the toner particle, the peaks having a height from the surface of the toner particle of 80 nm or more and 250 nm or less.

A carrier for forming an electrophotographic image is provided. The carrier includes a core particle comprising a manganese-based ferrite particle having an apparent density of from 2.0 to 2.2 g/cm.sup.3 and a magnetization of from 44 to 52 emu/g in a magnetic field of 500 Oe; and a coating layer coating a surface of the core particle. The coating layer contains a carbon black, an inorganic particle A, and an inorganic particle B. The inorganic particle A and the carbon black each have a concentration gradient in a thickness direction of the coating layer. A concentration of the inorganic particle A increases toward a surface of the coating layer, and a concentration of the carbon black decreases toward the surface of the coating layer.

A carrier for developing an electrostatic charge image has magnetic particles and a resin coating that covers the magnetic particles and contains at least one lubricant. The resin coating has a dispersed phase of the lubricant and meets requirement (1).

Requirement (1): the lubricant content in a top layer>the lubricant content in a middle layer>the lubricant content in a bottom layer

The top, middle, and bottom layers are of the resin coating divided into three in the direction of thickness, and the lubricant content is the percentage area of the dispersed phase of the lubricant in a cross-section of the layer taken along the thickness thereof.

A magnetic core material for electrophotographic developer, satisfying a value of Expression (1): a+b×10+c+d+e+f, being from 200 to 1,400, when an amount of fluorine ion is denoted by a (ppm), an amount of chlorine ion is denoted by b (ppm), an amount of bromide ion is denoted by c (ppm), an amount of nitrite ion is denoted by d (ppm), an amount of nitrate ion is denoted by e (ppm), and an amount of sulfate ion is denoted by f (ppm), which are measured by combustion ion chromatography; and having a pore volume of from 30 to 100 mm.sup.3/g.

Provided is a two-component developer has a toner including a toner particle including a binder resin, and a magnetic carrier, wherein the binder resin includes 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 different from the first polymerizable monomer, the first polymerizable monomer is a specific (meth)acrylic acid ester, a content and an SP value of the first and second monomer units in the polymer A fall within respective specific ranges, the magnetic carrier has a magnetic core and a coating resin of the surface of the magnetic core, the coating resin includes a polymer B having monomer units (a) and (b), each SP value of the monomer units (a) and (b) is a specific value.

A carrier for forming an electrophotographic image is provided. The carrier comprises carrier particles each comprising a core particle and a coating layer. The coating layer comprises a coating resin and inorganic particles comprising chargeable particles A and conductive particles B. The amount of the inorganic particles is from 195 to 350 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the coating resin. The carrier particles consist of small carrier particles (D1≤25 μm), medium carrier particles (25 μm<D2≤38 μm), and large carrier particles (38 μm<D3). A constituent element variation, that is a ratio of an amount of a constituent element of the inorganic particles contained in the coating layer of the small carrier particles to an amount of the same constituent element of the inorganic particles contained in the coating layer of the medium carrier, is from −10.0% to 10.0%.