JPH11149175A - Image forming method and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obviate the generation of fogging, unevenness and stripes on, images even under the high-temp. and high-humidity environment by stably and well executing the formation of a thin toner layer on a developing sleeve by an elastic blade. SOLUTION: The developer regulating member 7 in the image forming method of forming the toner image on an electrostatic latent image carrying member 1 by developing the electrostatic latent image by using a developing device 4 having a rotating developer carrying member 5 and the developer regulating member 7 comprises a polyamide-contg. elastomer having Shore D hardness of >=25 to <=65 deg. in at least the contact part thereof with the developer carrying member 5. The developer described above has at least toners. These toners contain at least coloring agents. The absorbances at wavelengths 260 nm and 400 nm when a toner concn. is converted to 1 g/liter in the transmitted light spectra in the state of dispersing the toners into an aq. soln. are defined as A and B. A and B are then so determined as to satisfy the following equation: The equation is 0.80<=A/B<=1.04.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming method and an image forming apparatus used for an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, an electrostatic latent image formed on a latent image carrier, that is, a so-called photosensitive member, is developed by a developing device having at least toner as a component, and a toner image is formed. Going to visualize.

As such a developing device, various developing devices using a dry developer have been proposed and put into practical use.

However, at present, there is a demand for improvement in image resolution, sharpness, etc., and the development of a method and an apparatus for forming a layer of a developer is indispensable. ing.

For example, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 54-43038, a rubber or metal elastic blade is brought into contact with a developing sleeve of a developer carrier, and a contact portion between the elastic blade and the developing sleeve is formed. There is a type in which a thin layer of toner is formed on a developing sleeve by restricting the toner by passing the toner therebetween, and sufficient tribo is imparted to the toner by friction at a contact portion.

When the non-magnetic one-component toner is regulated by the elastic blade, a toner supply member for supplying the toner onto the developing sleeve is required separately. This is because in the case of a magnetic toner, the toner can be supplied onto the developing sleeve by the magnetic force of a magnet in the developing sleeve, but in the case of a non-magnetic toner, the toner cannot be supplied by the magnetic force.

Therefore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-116559 proposes a developing device as shown in FIG. In this developing device, a developing sleeve 26 is provided in a developing container 24 containing a non-magnetic toner 23 as a one-component developer at a position upstream of the elastic blade 25 in the rotation direction of the developing sleeve 26.
An elastic roller 27 having a fur brush structure is provided in contact with the developing roller 26, and the remaining toner 23 which is not consumed in the development on the developing sleeve 26 is peeled off by the elastic roller 27 and new toner 23 is supplied onto the developing sleeve 26. Like that.

With the above-described structure, a thin layer of the non-magnetic toner 23 can be formed on the developing sleeve 26 satisfactorily, and the electrostatic latent image on the image carrier can be developed well. became.

However, in order to achieve higher image quality and energy saving, it is necessary to use a toner having a small particle diameter and a low melting point in order to respond to this, and the developing operation is repeated many times using such a toner. At the time, the following problems occurred.

(1) When a thin metal plate such as SUS or phosphor bronze is used as the elastic blade, the contact in the longitudinal direction is likely to be uneven because the hardness is too high, resulting in uneven coating of the developer on the developing sleeve. Cheap. In addition, since the toner is excessively hard, an excessive force is locally applied to the toner, or the surface has poor releasability, so that when the developing operation is repeated, the toner is fused to the surface of the elastic blade that comes into contact with the developing sleeve. As a result, uneven coating or streaks of the toner on the developing sleeve occur, which causes an image defect.

(2) An elastic blade made of a conventional urethane rubber, silicone rubber or the like in the form of a plate alone, or formed by bonding these rubbers to a thin metal plate in order to obtain stable contact with time. The use of (1) can prevent the problem (1), but the frictional charging ability to the toner is insufficient, and the toner tribo is insufficient. As a result, fogging is caused as a problem on the image, and in a severe case, a problem such as toner scattering from the developing sleeve and soiling of the image forming apparatus occurs.

Therefore, it is necessary to use a material having a high triboelectric charging capability for the elastic blade itself. For the positive polarity toner, a material having a high electron accepting property, and for the negative polarity toner, a material having a high electron donating property. I have chosen.

However, various proposals have been made to use a charge controlling agent having a high electron-donating property in a base material such as silicone rubber or urethane rubber, especially for a negative polarity toner. However, the application of tribo is insufficient, and it has not been possible to prevent generation of a fog image particularly in a high humidity environment.

In order to prevent the generation of the fog image, a material having a higher electron-donating property is preferable, and a polyamide resin such as nylon is used. However, since this polyamide resin does not have elasticity, a plate-like material is used alone. It is not possible to use it by coating or bonding a plate-shaped resin on a thin metal plate as a support layer for regulating pressure.

Although the fogging image can be prevented from occurring in the initial state of the developing operation by adopting such a configuration, the toner coating on the developing sleeve in the initial state is similar to the case of using the above-mentioned metal thin plate alone. Unevenness and toner fusion to the surface of the elastic blade when the developing operation is repeated are caused. This is caused by applying excessive force to the toner when passing through the elastic blade because the hardness of the polyamide resin is too high. Therefore, for the purpose of lowering the hardness as an elastic blade, for example, even when a configuration in which urethane rubber is adhered as an elastic layer on a metal thin plate and the polyamide resin is thinly coated as a charge imparting layer on the surface thereof, the above-mentioned metal thin plate is used. Although the stability of the toner coating on the sleeve is improved as compared with the configuration in which the polyamide resin is directly provided, the hardness of the polyamide resin itself in the surface layer is higher when the developing operation is repeated in a high temperature environment after all in this configuration. Therefore, toner fusion occurred due to the influence of this portion, which was not preferable.

Therefore, the characteristics of the elastic blade are excellent in terms of imparting charge to the toner, and by having appropriate hardness, the toner can be applied to the appropriate layer without applying excessive force to the toner at the contact portion. That is, the above-mentioned conventional materials and configurations cannot sufficiently prevent fog and toner fusing because these characteristics are not sufficiently satisfied.

Therefore, it is effective to constitute the elastic blade with a polyamide elastomer containing a polyamide component having a good triboelectric charging ability with respect to the negative polarity toner and a polyether component having a further elasticity as a new material. is there.

However, simply using this material is not enough to prevent fogging and toner fusing, and in order to fully demonstrate its performance, the hardness of the polyamide elastomer used must be within an appropriate range. It was found that it was necessary to specify

That is, if the hardness is too low, the desired triboelectric charging ability cannot be obtained, and fogging particularly occurs in a high humidity environment. This is due to the fact that the low hardness has a low content of the polyamide component due to the structure of the polyamide elastomer, and the electron donating property of the elastic blade to the negative toner is too low.

On the other hand, if the hardness is too high, an excessive force is applied to the toner when passing through the elastic blade as in the case of the above-mentioned conventional polyamide resin, so that uneven coating due to fusion of the toner is caused. In this way, by using an elastic blade made of a polyamide elastomer having a hardness within an appropriate range, a thin toner layer can be stably formed on the developing sleeve satisfactorily. A developing device which is less likely to cause unevenness and streaks is obtained.

On the other hand, in recent years, as the electrophotographic image forming apparatus has become widespread, its use has also been expanded in various ways, and as described above, the demand for its image quality has become strict. 2. Description of the Related Art In copying an image such as a general photograph, catalog, or map, it is required to reproduce extremely finely and faithfully without crushing or breaking even a minute portion.

To meet such demands, there have been proposed some developers in which the particle size distribution of the toner is specified in order to improve the image quality.

For example, JP-A-51-3244 discloses the use of a toner having a particle size of 8 to 12 μm.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 54-72054, the size of particles having an intermediate weight is 8.5 to 11.0 μm.
Non-magnetic toners having a sharper distribution than the former have been proposed.

Further, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-129439, the average particle size is 6 to 10 μm, and the most
A non-magnetic toner having a thickness of 8 μm has been proposed. However, 5
Particles of μm or less are as small as 15% by number or less, and an image lacking in sharpness tends to be formed.

According to the study of the present inventors, toner particles of 5 μm or less clearly reproduce minute dots of a latent image and have a main function of “glue” of dense toner on the entire latent image. It was found that In particular, in the electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor, due to the concentration of lines of electric force, the contour edge portion has a higher electric field strength than the inside, and the sharpness of the image quality is determined by the quality of the toner particles collected in this portion. According to the study of the present inventor, it has been found that the amount of particles of 5 μm or less is effective for solving the problem of highlight gradation.

However, generally, the smaller the particle size of the toner particles, the stronger the adhesive force (mirror image force, van der Waals force, etc.) to the sleeve or blade, so that the particle size in a developing device in which a toner layer is formed with an elastic sleeve is increased. When a toner with a small toner is used, the toner tends to adhere to the blade particularly at a contact portion with the sleeve where the toner is charged, and an excessive force is applied to the adhered toner for a long time. Will fuse. As a result, as described above, uneven coating and streaks of the toner on the developing sleeve occur, which causes an image defect.

In addition, when the minute toner is strongly adsorbed on the sleeve, frictional charging of other toners is inhibited, so that the amount of frictional charging of the toner varies, and appears as uneven density on an image. These problems are particularly likely to occur under low humidity where the triboelectric charge increases and the electrostatic adhesion increases.

Such an increase in the adhesion of the toner is particularly caused by 1
It is expected to be remarkable for particles having a particle size of μm or less, but unfortunately, at present, the controllable particle size of the toner is on the order of microns, and it is difficult to control the content of particles having a particle size of 1 μm or less. Not reached.

A suspension polymerization method has been proposed for a long time as a method for producing a toner in which the particle size of the toner is relatively easy to control (for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 36-10231). In this suspension polymerization method, a polymerizable monomer and a colorant (and, if necessary, a polymerization initiator, a crosslinking agent, a charge control agent, and other additives) are uniformly dissolved or dispersed to prepare a monomer composition. After that, the monomer composition is dispersed in a continuous layer (for example, an aqueous phase) containing a dispersion stabilizer using a suitable stirrer, and simultaneously undergoes a polymerization reaction, thereby obtaining toner particles having a desired particle size distribution. Is what you get.

In this suspension polymerization method, not only can a toner having a relatively sharp particle size distribution be obtained, but also the individual toner shapes are substantially spherical, so that the use of such a toner makes it possible to form a uniform toner on the sleeve. It is easy to form a toner layer having a small thickness, and a higher definition image can be formed.

In a toner having such a uniform shape,
By strictly controlling the content of the particles having a particle diameter of less than 1 μm, the toner is not fused to the blade as described above, and the image density unevenness due to the variation in the charge amount is suppressed. It is expected that an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that can provide a high-resolution image over a long period of time can be achieved.

[0033]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to stably and satisfactorily form a thin toner layer on a developing sleeve by an elastic blade. Fog, unevenness,
An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming method and an image forming apparatus capable of providing a high-resolution and high-definition image for a long time without generating streaks and without causing image density unevenness even under low humidity.

Further, an object of the present invention is to provide excellent transferability, low transfer residual toner, and even without a cleaning device.
An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming method and an image forming apparatus capable of providing a stable and high-resolution image for a long period without causing charging failure.

[0035]

The above objects can be attained by the following electrophotographic developing apparatus.

That is, the present invention provides an electrostatic device using a developing device and a developer having a rotating developer carrier and a developer regulating member in contact with the developer carrier via a developer. In the image forming method for developing a latent image and forming a toner image on an electrostatic latent image carrier, the developer regulating member may have a Shore D hardness of 2 at least at a contact portion with the developer carrier.
It is composed of a polyamide-containing elastomer that is not less than 5 degrees and not more than 65 degrees, wherein the developer has at least a toner,
In the transmitted light spectrum in a state where the toner contains at least a colorant and the toner is dispersed in an aqueous solution, the wavelength 260 when the toner concentration is converted to 1 g / liter.
When the absorbances at nm and 400 nm are A and B, A and B satisfy the following formula: 0.80 ≦ A / B ≦ 1.04.

Further, the present invention has a developing step of forming an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive member by charging and image exposure, visualizing the electrostatic latent image with toner, and a step of transferring the electrostatic latent image to a transfer material. And an image forming method including a step of collecting a toner remaining on the photoreceptor after the transfer step by a developing step, wherein the developing step includes a developing container containing a developer, and a developer contained in the developing container. And a developer kit having a rotating developer carrier extending to the opening of the developing container and a developer regulating member in contact with the developer carrier via a developer. Done by developing the latent image,
The developer regulating member is made of a polyamide-containing elastomer having a Shore D hardness of 25 degrees or more and 65 degrees or less at least in a contact portion with the developer carrier, and the developer has at least a toner, and the toner has In a transmission light spectrum containing at least a colorant and dispersing the toner in an aqueous solution, when the absorbance at wavelengths 260 nm and 400 nm is A and B when the toner concentration is converted to 1 g / liter, A and B B satisfies the following equation: 0.80 ≦ A / B ≦ 1.04.

Further, the present invention relates to a developing container containing a developer, a developer contained in the developing container, a rotating developer carrier extending to an opening of the developing container, and a developing device. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus used in the above-described image forming method, comprising: a developer regulating member in contact with a developer carrier via a developer.

In the above-described developing device configuration, a more appropriate hardness is specified for the polyamide elastomer containing a polyamide component having a good triboelectric charge-imparting ability and a polyether component having elasticity, particularly for a negative toner. By using the developer as a developer regulating member, to prevent image fogging by having sufficient triboelectric charging ability under high humidity, image unevenness due to toner fusion generated when the developing operation is repeated under high temperature, Generation of image streaks and the like can be suppressed as much as possible, and a good developer layer can be stably formed on the developer carrier.

However, when the developing container having the above-mentioned structure is filled with various kinds of toner having a small particle diameter in order to obtain a high-resolution image, very good image characteristics are always provided at the initial stage. In a long-term durability test under low humidity, it was sometimes found that suppression of image defects due to coating unevenness, streaks, or uneven frictional charging was insufficient.

Therefore, as a result of intensive studies by the present inventors,
The content of particles of 1 μm or less in the toner greatly affects not only the resolution of the image quality but also the image fusion unevenness due to toner fusion and uneven frictional charging at the contact surface between the elastic blade and the developing sleeve. It has been found that the image forming method and the image forming apparatus of the present invention have been completed.

[0042]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The toner relating to the image forming method and the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail.

The feature of the toner relating to the image forming method and the image forming apparatus of the present invention is that the toner concentration is at least 1 g / liter in a transmitted light spectrum containing at least a colorant and dispersed in an aqueous solution. When the absorbances at wavelengths of 260 nm and 400 nm are A and B, A and B satisfy the following equation: 0.80 ≦ A / B ≦ 1.04.

Generally, the interaction between light and fine particles dispersed in a solution is mainly absorption and particle scattering.

In the case of fine particles of less than 1 μm, the particles are scattered with respect to incident light having a short wavelength, particularly 400 nm or less, and the intensity of transmitted light is reduced. The degree of the reduction is correlated with the concentration of the fine particles. .

Therefore, it is possible to control the distribution number of particles having a particle size of less than 1 μm in the toner from the apparent absorbance in this wavelength region.

According to the study of the present inventors, as a standard for controlling the particle size distribution, in the transmitted light spectrum in a state of being dispersed in an aqueous solution, the wavelength at 260 nm and 400 nm when the toner concentration is converted to 1 g / liter is shown. Assuming that the absorbances are A and B, it has been clarified that when A and B satisfy the following formulas, various toner characteristics such as image characteristics and durability can be greatly improved.

0.80 ≦ A / B ≦ 1.04 Here, when A / B <0.80, it means that the number of particles of 1 μm or less in the toner is small. In addition, it is difficult to obtain a high-resolution image, and the effect of the fine particles as a spacer as a fusion inhibitor or an abrasive of the fused toner is small, so that excellent durability cannot be obtained. .

On the other hand, in the case of 1.04 <A / B, it means that the number of particles of 1 μm or less in the toner is too large, and the resolution of the image quality is improved, but the adhesion of the toner is low. Because of the height, it is easy to cause toner fusion at the contact surface between the elastic blade and the developing sleeve or toner adhesion on the sleeve, and image defects due to coating unevenness, streaks, or uneven frictional charging easily occur. , But also have poor durability.

As a method of controlling the particle size distribution of the toner, for example, there is a method of treating the toner with hot air. Specifically, there are a method of supplying the toner into a circulating hot air flow for processing, a method of injecting the toner with compressed air, and radiating the hot air to the toner to perform the processing. For example, the particle size distribution of the toner can be controlled to some extent by using a commonly used air classification method. difficult. In particular, fine particles having a size of 1 μm or less have strong cohesiveness, and it is very difficult to control the content.

On the other hand, in the above-described heat treatment method, the fine particles present as agglomerates become single particles due to thermal energy, so that the particle size distribution can be adjusted relatively easily.

At this time, by controlling the staying time of the toner in the hot air, the temperature of the hot air, or the flow rate of the hot air, the content of the fine particles of 1 μm or less can be controlled. The temperature is preferably from the temperature of the softening point of the toner to 300 ° C. or less. At a temperature lower than the softening point, it is difficult to modify the aggregate of toner particles into a single particle. At a temperature higher than 300 ° C., even if the residence time in hot air is shortened, the surface of the toner such as decomposition of the material is deteriorated. Is difficult to suppress, and the charging characteristics are adversely affected, which is not preferable.

The durability of the toner according to the present invention is further improved when the value of the shape factor SF-1 measured by a toner image analyzer satisfies the following expression.

100 <SF-1 ≦ 140, preferably 100 <SF-1 ≦ 130, and more preferably 100 <SF-1 ≦ 120.

Further, the transferability of the toner according to the present invention is further improved when the value of the shape factor SF-2 measured by the toner image analyzer satisfies the following expression.

100 <SF-2 ≦ 140, preferably 100 <SF-2 ≦ 130, and more preferably 100 <SF-2 ≦ 120.

Here, in the present invention, SF-1 and SF-2 indicating the shape factor are, for example, FE-S manufactured by Hitachi, Ltd.
2 μm expanded 1000 times using EM (S-800)
The above 100 toner images are randomly sampled, and the image information is introduced via an interface into, for example, an image analyzer (Luzex III) manufactured by Nicole and analyzed, and a value obtained by the following equation is calculated. Shape factor SF-
1, SF-2.

[0058]

(Equation 1) (Where MXLNG is the absolute maximum length of the particle, PERI is the perimeter of the particle, and AREA is the projected area of the particle)

The shape coefficient SF-1 indicates the degree of roundness of the toner particles, and the shape coefficient SF-2 indicates the degree of unevenness of the toner particles.

By controlling these shape factors,
Contamination due to fusion of the toner onto the toner carrier or the blade during image formation on a large number of sheets can be improved, and the durability can be further improved.

In the case of 140 <SF-1, the shape of the toner departs from a sphere and approaches an irregular shape, so that the toner is easily broken in the developing device, and the finely crushed toner adheres to the uneven portion on the blade or the sleeve. The charge amount distribution tends to be broad, and the toner with a high charge amount is easily adsorbed on the blade, and during long-term durability, excessive force is applied to the toner.
It is fused on the blade as it is, and a surface image defect occurs.

When 140 <SF-2, the releasability of the toner from the developing sleeve is reduced, and the efficiency of peeling off the residual toner on the sleeve by the elastic roller is reduced. The stay on the sleeve for a long time is not preferable because it may cause the toner to adhere to the sleeve.

The toner according to the present invention, particularly when it has a weight average particle diameter of 1 to 9 μm, makes it possible to stably obtain a very high-quality image for a long period of time.

It is generally known that when the particle size of the toner becomes smaller, the resolution during development is improved. However, in addition to the increase in the surface area of the whole toner, the fluidity and agitation of the toner powder are reduced. However, it is difficult to uniformly charge the individual particles.

However, by strictly controlling the particle size distribution of 1 μm or less in the toner and controlling the SF-1 and SF-2 of the toner as described in the present invention, a toner having a small weight average particle size can be obtained. Even if it does, individual particles can be uniformly charged, and a high-definition image can be obtained for a long period of time.

The toner according to the present invention contains, in addition to the colorant,
It preferably contains a wax having a softening point of 40 to 90 ° C.

In general, toner particles having a size of 1 μm or less enter gaps between paper fibers when a transfer member such as paper is used.
Insufficient reception of heat from the heat fixing roller,
Low-temperature offset is likely to occur. However, by incorporating wax as a release agent into the toner as in the present invention, it is possible to achieve both high resolution and offset resistance.

Here, the softening point of the wax used is 4
It is important that the temperature is 0 to 90 ° C.

If the softening point is lower than 40 ° C., the blocking resistance and the shape retention of the toner are insufficient. On the other hand, if the softening point is higher than 90 ° C., the effect of the releasability becomes insufficient, and the fixability is impaired. I will.

The softening point of the wax is determined by the ring and ball method (JI
S K 2531).

The content of the wax is preferably in the range of 0.1 to 50% by weight based on the whole toner. If the content is less than 0.1% by weight, the effect of suppressing low-temperature offset is poor, and if it exceeds 50% by weight, long-term storage properties and adhesion to the contact portion between the blade and the sleeve deteriorate, and
Dispersibility with other toner materials deteriorates, leading to deterioration of image characteristics and durability.

The waxes used in the present invention include:
Examples include paraffin / polyolefin waxes, ester waxes, and modified products thereof, for example, oxides and grafted products, higher fatty acids and metal salts thereof, and amide waxes. These waxes may be used alone or in combination.

Further, in the present invention, a polyester resin is contained in the toner in an amount of 0.1 to 20% by weight based on the whole toner.
By containing the compound, not only image defects can be prevented, but also chargeability, fluidity, and environmental stability can be further improved.

The polyester resin is known as a resin having excellent fixability due to its sharp melt property upon heating, and further has excellent fluidity as a powder and high chargeability.

Therefore, by incorporating a polyester resin into a toner strictly controlled to a submicron particle size distribution as in the present invention, not only the fixability and the uniform chargeability but also the fluidity are further improved. Accordingly, the movement of the developer in the contact portion between the elastic blade and the developing sleeve becomes smooth, and the fusion of the toner to this portion can be further suppressed.

In this case, the content of the polyester resin is set to 0.1.
If it is less than 1% by weight, the above effects cannot be expected.
If the content is more than 10% by weight, environmental characteristics are lowered due to its hygroscopicity, and in addition, toner fusion is likely to occur due to its thermal characteristics.

The image forming method and the image forming apparatus of the present invention can be applied to a full-color electrophotographic image forming method.

In this case, for example, a combination of color toners composed of colored particles capable of forming a full-color image such as yellow, cyan, magenta, and black is stored in a developing container for each color and used as a full-color developing device. The color toner of each color used at that time will be described in more detail.

The black toner used in the image forming method and the image forming apparatus of the present invention is not particularly limited. However, when carbon black is used as one of the toner coloring agents, the binder resin raw material for toner and the high By manufacturing a toner using a masterbatch mainly containing carbon black in the compounding amount, the durability of electrophotographic characteristics is greatly improved.

In general, since carbon black is a conductor, if the dispersion is not sufficient, the resistance of the toner is partially reduced. As a result, it is difficult to uniformly charge the toner at the contact portion between the blade and the sleeve, and high definition is obtained. Not only is it difficult to obtain a proper image, but also the stability of image characteristics and triboelectric charging characteristics is poor. In particular, in the case of a toner having a small particle size, dispersing a uniform amount of carbon black in individual toner particles is an important technical point for improving durability.

Therefore, by manufacturing a toner having a strictly controlled particle size distribution using a carbon black masterbatch as in the present invention, it is possible to further improve the durability of electrophotographic characteristics in the configuration of the developing device of the present invention. Becomes

In the transmitted light spectrum in a state where the black toner is dispersed in the aqueous solution, the toner concentration is 1
Wavelength 260 nm and 40 when converted to g / liter
Assuming that the absorbance at 0 nm is A and B, when A and B satisfy the following formula, the occurrence of image defects is further suppressed, which is more preferable.

0.80 ≦ A / B ≦ 1.01 More preferably, 0.85 ≦ A / B ≦ 1.01.

Next, the yellow toner used in the image forming method and the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described. The toner is not particularly limited, but has an absorption peak in a wavelength region of 400 nm to 500 nm in a transmission light spectrum in a state of being dispersed in an aqueous solution, and has a wavelength of 260 nm and 400 nm when the toner concentration is converted to 1 g / liter. When the absorbances are A and B, it is more preferable that A and B satisfy the following formula: 0.85 ≦ A / B ≦ 1.00 and 0.90 ≦ A / B ≦ 1.00 Thus, the effect of suppressing image defects is further improved.

Next, the magenta toner used in the image forming method and the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described. The toner is not particularly limited, but has an absorption peak in a wavelength region of 500 nm to 600 nm in a transmitted light spectrum in a state of being dispersed in an aqueous solution, and has a wavelength of 260 nm and 400 nm when the toner concentration is converted to 1 g / liter. When the absorbances are A and B, it is more preferable that A and B satisfy the following formula: 0.87 ≦ A / B ≦ 1.02, and 0.92 ≦ A / B ≦ 1.02 Thus, the effect of suppressing image defects is further improved.

Next, the cyan toner used in the image forming method and the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described. The toner is not particularly limited, but has an absorption peak in a wavelength region of 600 nm to 800 nm in a transmitted light spectrum in a state of being dispersed in an aqueous solution, and has a wavelength of 260 nm and 400 nm when the toner concentration is converted to 1 g / liter. When the absorbances are A and B, it is more preferable that A and B satisfy the following expression: 0.89 ≦ A / B ≦ 1.04, and 0.94 ≦ A / B ≦ 1.04 Thus, the effect of suppressing image defects is further improved.

As the binder resin usable for the toner according to the present invention, all known binder resins can be used.

For example, a colorant comprising a dye / pigment or a charge control agent is melt-mixed in a thermoplastic resin and uniformly dispersed, and then a toner having a desired particle size is produced by a fine pulverizer and a classifier. In the method, the so-called pulverization method, polystyrene, poly p-chlorostyrene, a homopolymer of styrene such as polyvinyl toluene and a substituted product thereof, a styrene-p-chlorostyrene copolymer, a styrene-propylene copolymer, a styrene-vinyl Toluene copolymer, styrene-vinylnaphthalene copolymer, styrene-methyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-butyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-
Octyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-methyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene-ethyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene-butyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene-α-chloromethyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer Polymer, styrene-vinyl methyl ether copolymer, styrene-vinyl ethyl ether copolymer, styrene-vinyl methyl ketone copolymer, styrene-butadiene copolymer, styrene-isoprene copolymer, styrene-acrylonitrile-indene copolymer Styrene-based copolymers such as polymers, styrene-maleic acid copolymers, styrene-maleic acid ester copolymers, polymethyl methacrylate, polybutyl methacrylate, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene Le, polyurethane, polyamide,
Epoxy resin, polyvinyl butyral, polyamide,
Polyacrylic acid resin, rosin, modified rosin, terpene resin, phenolic resin, aliphatic or alicyclic hydrocarbon resin,
Aromatic petroleum resins, chlorinated paraffins, paraffin waxes and the like can be used alone or as a mixture.

On the other hand, in the toner production method by the polymerization method, for example, styrene, o (m
-, P-)-methylstyrene, m (p-)-ethylstyrene and other styrene monomers; methyl (meth) acrylate, ethyl (meth) acrylate, propyl (meth) acrylate, (meth) acryl Butyl acrylate, octyl (meth) acrylate, dodecyl (meth) acrylate, stearyl (meth) acrylate, behenyl (meth) acrylate,
(Meth) acrylate monomers such as 2-ethylhexyl (meth) acrylate, dimethylaminoethyl (meth) acrylate, and diethylaminoethyl (meth) acrylate; butadiene, isoprene, cyclohexene, (meth) acrylonitrile, and acrylic acid Monomers such as amides are preferably used. These can be used alone or generally in the published Polymer Handbook, 2nd edition-pp 39-192.
The monomers are appropriately mixed and used so that the theoretical glass transition temperature (Tg) described in (John Wiley & Sons) shows 40 to 75 ° C. If the theoretical glass transition temperature is lower than 40 ° C., problems arise in terms of the storage stability of the toner and the durability stability of the developer. In this case, the color mixture of each color toner is insufficient and the color reproducibility is poor, and the transparency of the OHP image is remarkably reduced, which is not preferable from the viewpoint of high image quality. At this time, if a monomer having two or more polymerizable functional groups in one molecule, such as divinylbenzene, is contained, an appropriate network is formed in the toner, and the fixing property and the durability are further improved. It becomes possible.

In the present invention, it is desirable to add a charge control agent to the toner material in order to control the chargeability of the toner. Examples of these charge control agents include, as positive charge control agents, quaternary ammonium salts, guanidine derivatives, imidazole derivatives, amine-based and polyamine-based compounds, and the like. Metal salts or metal complexes of aromatic carboxylic acid derivatives, urea derivatives, styrene-acrylic acid copolymers,
Styrene-methacrylic acid copolymer and the like. For a full-color toner such as a yellow toner, a magenta toner, and a cyan toner, among these, a metal salt or a metal complex of an aromatic carboxylic acid derivative that has a high charge-imparting ability and can improve powder fluidity. If you use
Higher resolution images can be obtained.

The charge control agent may be added in an amount
The content is preferably 0.1 to 10% by weight based on the toner.

In the present invention, when producing a toner by a polymerization method, it is necessary to pay attention to the polymerization inhibitory property and the water phase migration property of the colorant.
It is better to perform a hydrophobic treatment with a substance that does not inhibit polymerization. As a preferable method for surface-treating the dye system, there is a method in which a polymerizable monomer is polymerized in the presence of these dyes in advance, and the obtained colored polymer is added to the monomer system.

The polymerization initiator used when polymerizing the toner according to the present invention in an aqueous medium is, for example, 2,2.
2′-azobis- (2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile), 2,2′-azobisibutyronitrile, 1,1 ′
-Azobis (cyclohexane-1-carbonitrile),
Azo-based polymerization initiators such as 2,2'-azobis-4-methoxy-4-dimethylvaleronitrile and azobisisobutyronitrile; benzoyl peroxide, methyl ethyl ketone peroxide, diisopropyl peroxycarbonate, cumene hydroperoxide, 2,4-dichloro A peroxide-based polymerization initiator such as benzoyl peroxide and lauroyl peroxide is used.

The amount of the polymerization initiator to be added varies depending on the desired degree of polymerization, but is generally in the range of 0.5 to 2 with respect to the monomer.
0% by weight is used. Although the type of the initiator slightly varies depending on the polymerization method, it is used alone or in combination with reference to the 10-hour half-life temperature.

In order to control the degree of polymerization, known crosslinking agents, chain transfer agents, polymerization inhibitors and the like can be further added and used.

As the dispersant used in the polymerization step of the toner according to the present invention in an aqueous medium, for example, inorganic oxides such as tricalcium phosphate, magnesium phosphate, aluminum phosphate, zinc phosphate, calcium carbonate, Magnesium carbonate, calcium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide,
Examples include aluminum hydroxide, calcium metasilicate, calcium sulfate, barium sulfate, bentonite, silica, alumina, magnetic material, and ferrite. As the organic compound, for example, polyvinyl alcohol, gelatin, methylcellulose, methylhydroxypropylcellulose, ethylcellulose, sodium salt of carboxymethylcellulose, starch and the like are used by being dispersed in an aqueous phase. It is preferable to use 0.2 to 10 parts by weight of these dispersants based on 100 parts by weight of the polymerizable monomer.

As these dispersants, commercially available ones may be used as they are, but in order to obtain fine and uniform dispersed particles, the inorganic compound is formed under high-speed stirring in a dispersion medium. Can also be used. For example, in the case of tricalcium phosphate, a dispersant suitable for a suspension polymerization method can be obtained by mixing an aqueous solution of sodium phosphate and an aqueous solution of calcium chloride under high-speed stirring. Further, 0.001 to 0.1 parts by weight of a surfactant may be used in combination for making these dispersants finer. Specifically, commercially available nonionic, anionic, and cationic surfactants can be used. For example, sodium dodecyl sulfate, sodium tetradecyl sulfate, sodium pentadecyl sulfate, sodium octyl sulfate,
Sodium oleate, sodium laurate, potassium stearate, calcium oleate and the like are preferably used.

When the toner according to the present invention is produced by a polymerization method, it is possible to specifically produce the toner by the following method. A colorant, charge control agent, polymerization initiator, and other additives are added to the monomer, and the monomer composition is uniformly dissolved or dispersed by a homogenizer, an ultrasonic disperser, etc., and a dispersion stabilizer is contained. In an aqueous phase to be dispersed using a conventional stirrer, homomixer, homogenizer or the like. Preferably, the stirring speed and time are adjusted so that the droplets of the monomer composition have the desired size of the toner particles, and the granulation is performed. Thereafter, by the action of the dispersion stabilizer, the particles may be stirred to such an extent that the particle state is maintained and the particles are prevented from settling. The polymerization is performed at a polymerization temperature of 40 ° C. or higher, generally 50 to 90 ° C. Further, the temperature may be raised in the second half of the polymerization reaction, and further, for the purpose of improving the durability characteristics in the image forming method of the present invention, the second half of the reaction for removing unreacted polymerizable monomers, by-products, and the like, Alternatively, a part of the aqueous medium may be distilled off after the completion of the reaction. After the reaction, the generated toner particles are collected by washing and filtration, and dried. In this method, the monomer system 10
It is preferable to use 300 to 3000 parts by weight of water as a dispersion medium with respect to 0 parts by weight.

The toner according to the present invention may further contain a fluidity improver. As a fluidity improver,
There is no particular limitation as long as the fluidity after addition can be improved by adding the toner particles to the toner particles. For example, silica fine powder, titanium oxide fine powder, alumina fine powder, or those obtained by subjecting their surfaces to a hydrophobic treatment can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

The toner according to the present invention may be used as a one-component developing agent, or may be used as a two-component developing agent in combination with a carrier. Examples of the carrier include conventionally known carriers such as iron powder, magnetite powder, ferrite powder, glass beads, and magnetic powder dispersed in a resin. These carriers may be coated on the surface with a resin or the like as necessary. Examples of the resin used in this case include a fluorine-containing resin, a phenol resin, a styrene resin, an acrylic resin, and a styrene-acryl copolymer. , Polyolefin resin, silicone resin and the like. These coating resins may be used alone or in combination of two or more. The mixing ratio of the toner and the carrier is 1 to 15% by weight, preferably 2 to 13% by weight, as the toner concentration in the developer.
In general, good results are obtained when the weight percentage is used.

The image forming method and the image forming apparatus of the present invention are particularly effective when the charging means for the photosensitive member is a direct charging method in which the charging member is brought into contact with the photosensitive member. That is, if there is a large amount of residual toner after cleaning, the residual toner adheres directly to the charging member in a later process, causing charging failure. Therefore, the amount of residual toner needs to be smaller and less likely to adhere as compared with corona discharge or the like in which the charging means does not contact the photoconductor. On the other hand, the image forming method of the present invention has a structure capable of uniformly charging individual toner particles, and a specific amount of particles of 1 μm or less contained in the toner according to the present invention is transferred as spacer particles. The transferability of the toner is significantly improved by acting as an agent, and the amount of residual toner after transfer and the amount of residual toner after cleaning are significantly reduced. It has become.

In the image forming method and the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the surface of the sleeve carrying the toner may be rotated in the same direction as the peripheral speed of the photosensitive member, or may be rotated in the opposite direction. When the rotation is in the same direction, the peripheral speed ratio is preferably 100% or more with respect to the peripheral speed of the photoconductor. If it is less than 100%, the image quality is poor. As the peripheral speed ratio increases, the amount of toner supplied on the latent image at the development site increases, and an image faithful to the latent image can be obtained.

Further, in recent years, from the viewpoint of ecology, a system that does not generate waste toner in the sense of effective use of toner has been desired. However, if the image forming method of the present invention is used, the amount of residual toner after transfer is significantly reduced. Because of the reduction, it is possible to achieve a cleaner-less and waste toner-less device configuration.

The cleanerless system will be described.

When the image forming method and the image forming apparatus of the present invention are used in a cleaner-less system, preferable conditions for the developing step are that the developer and the surface of the photoreceptor are in contact, and that the reversal developing method is used. That is. At this time, at the time of development or at the time of blank before and after development,
By applying a bias of a DC or AC component, the potential is controlled so that the remaining toner on the non-image area or the photosensitive member can be recovered. At this time, the DC component is located between the light portion potential and the dark portion potential.

When a one-component toner is used as a developer, a method is also used in which an elastic roller is used as a toner carrier, the surface of the elastic roller is coated with toner, and this is brought into contact with the surface of the photoreceptor. At this time, it is important that the toner is in contact with the surface of the photoconductor. In this case, cleaning is performed simultaneously with development by an electric field acting between the photoreceptor and the elastic roller facing the photoreceptor surface via the toner. There is a need to have an electric field in the narrow gap of the carrying surface. For this reason, it is also possible to use a method in which the elastic rubber of the elastic roller is resistance-controlled in the medium resistance region to keep the electric field while preventing conduction with the photoreceptor surface, or to provide a thin insulating layer on the surface layer of the conductive roller. . Further, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which a conductive layer is provided on a conductive roller on a conductive roller on which the side facing the photoreceptor surface is covered with an insulating material, or on a side not facing the photoreceptor with an insulating sleeve. Also, a rigid roller is used as the toner carrier,
A configuration in which the photosensitive member is a flexible member such as a belt is also possible. The resistance of the developing roller as a toner carrying member is preferably in the range of 10 ² ~10 ⁹ Ω · cm.

Also, at this time, the surface of the roller carrying the toner may be rotated in the same direction as the peripheral speed of the photosensitive member, or may be rotated in the opposite direction. It is desirable that the ratio of the peripheral speed to the peripheral speed of the photoconductor is 100% or more. The higher the peripheral speed ratio, the more frequently the toner is attached to and detached from the latent image, and unnecessary portions are disturbed and added to necessary portions, thereby obtaining an image faithful to the latent image. . From the viewpoint of cleaning at the same time as the development, the effect of physically peeling off the remaining transfer toner adhered to the photoreceptor from the surface of the photoreceptor and the portion where the toner adheres by the peripheral speed difference and recovering by an electric field can be expected. The higher the value, the more convenient it is to collect the transfer residual toner.

Next, various measuring methods according to the present invention will be described.

(1) Measurement of transmitted light spectrum of toner In the present invention, Shimadzu self-recording spectrophotometer, UV-220
0 (manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation).

The measurement sample is accurately weighed about 10 mg,
Ultrasonic dispersion device U was added to a 30 ml sample bottle containing 10 ml of ion exchange water containing a surfactant for dispersion.
Disperse with H-50 (SMT COMPANY) for 10 minutes. The ultrasonic dispersion intensity at this time is scale 4 to 8,
If the tip of the ultrasonic vibrator is inserted to a depth of about 5 mm from the liquid surface of the sample and tuned so that the dispersion energy is maximized, good dispersion can be obtained without crushing the sample toner particles. 10 ml of ion-exchanged water was added to the obtained aqueous sample dispersion solution to reduce the sample concentration to 、, and the solution was placed in a quartz cell having a light transmission distance of 1 cm, and placed in a 200 nm to 90 nm cell.
The transmitted light spectrum is measured in the region of 0 nm.

At this time, the sample concentration was changed to C (g / liter)-
Assuming that the absorbance at wavelength 260 and 400 nm obtained from the measured spectrum is a and b, respectively, then A = a / CB = b / C.

(2) Average Particle Size and Particle Size Distribution of Toner The average particle size and particle size distribution of the toner are output as a number distribution and a volume distribution using a Coulter Counter TA-II or Coulter Multisizer (manufactured by Coulter Inc.). Interface (Nikkaki) and PC9801 personal computer (NEC) are connected.
A 1% NaCl aqueous solution is prepared using graded sodium chloride. For example, ISOTON R-II (manufactured by Coulter Scientific Japan) can be used. As a measuring method, 0.1 to 5 ml of a surfactant (preferably an alkylbenzene sulfonate) is added as a dispersant to 100 to 150 ml of the aqueous electrolytic solution, and 2 to 20 mg of a measurement sample is further added. The electrolytic solution in which the sample was suspended was subjected to a dispersion treatment for about 1 to 3 minutes with an ultrasonic disperser, and the dispersion was treated with the Coulter Counter TA-II as an aperture.
The volume distribution and the number distribution were calculated by measuring the volume and the number of toner particles having a size of 2 μm or more using a μm aperture.
Then, a volume-based weight average particle diameter (D4) determined from the volume distribution according to the present invention was determined.

[0113]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following Examples, but it should not be construed that the invention is limited thereto.

[Production Example A of Polymerized Toner] In a two-liter four-necked flask, 710 g of ion-exchanged water was added. 1M-N
a ₃ PO ₄ aqueous solution 450 g, and 1.0 M-CaCl ₂ aqueous solution 68g were placed in the heating of a 60 ° C., a high speed stirrer T
While stirring at a high speed using a K-type homomixer (manufactured by Tokushu Kika Kogyo Co., Ltd.), an aqueous dispersion medium containing a minute water-insoluble dispersion stabilizer was obtained.

On the other hand, 160 g of (monomer) styrene 40 g of n-butyl acrylate (colorant) 14 g of carbon black having a primary particle size of 40 nm (charge control agent) 4 g of Fe compound of monoazo dye (release agent) ester wax (softening agent) 20 g (others) 10 g of a polyester resin was prepared, and a masterbatch of carbon black was produced using an attritor (manufactured by Mitsui Kinzoku Co., Ltd.) using only the colorant and styrene in the above formulation. Next, this masterbatch and the remaining ingredients of the above formulation were heated to 60 ° C., dissolved and dispersed to obtain a monomer mixture. Further, while maintaining the temperature at 60 ° C., 5 g of an initiator 2,2′-azobis (2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) was added and dissolved to prepare a monomer composition.

The above monomer composition was charged into the aqueous dispersion medium prepared in the 2-liter flask of the homomixer. At 60 ° C., using a TK homomixer, 10,000
The mixture was stirred at rpm for 20 minutes to granulate the monomer composition. Thereafter, the reaction was carried out for 6 hours while stirring at 60 ° C.
For 10 hours.

After the completion of the polymerization reaction, the reaction product was cooled, hydrochloric acid was added, and the mixture was filtered, washed with water, and dried to obtain black suspended particles A having a weight average diameter of about 6.3 μm.

With respect to 100 parts by weight of the obtained black suspended particles A, the surface of a silica base material having a specific surface area of 200 m ² / g by the BET method was subjected to a hydrophobic treatment with a silane coupling agent and silicone oil to obtain a specific surface area. About 120m ² / g
And 1.5 parts by weight of hydrophobic silica was added to obtain polymerized toner A. Table 1 shows the physical properties of the obtained polymerized toner A.
It was shown to. Before and after external addition of hydrophobic silica, A
Since the values of / B were the same, the values of A / B in the physical property values in the following toner production examples are all the values after external addition.

[Production Example B of Polymerized Toner] An aqueous dispersion medium and a monomer composition were prepared by using the same materials as in Production Example A of the polymerized toner and using the same means.

The monomer composition was charged into the aqueous dispersion medium prepared in a 2-liter flask of a homomixer. 60
The mixture was stirred at 10,000 rpm for 20 minutes at 10,000 ° C. to granulate the monomer composition. Thereafter, the mixture was reacted for 6 hours while stirring at 60 ° C., and then polymerized at 90 ° C. for 10 hours.

After the completion of the polymerization reaction, the reaction product was cooled, hydrochloric acid was added, and the mixture was filtered, washed with water and dried to obtain black suspended particles.

Next, the obtained black suspended particles are introduced into a hot air stream at a hot air inlet temperature of 160 ° C., and excessive 1 μm or less particles are coalesced to adjust the number of particles of 1 μm or less. Black suspended particles B having an average particle size of 6.4 μm were obtained.
1.5 parts by weight of the hydrophobic silica used in Production Example A of the polymerized toner was externally added to 100 parts by weight of the obtained black suspended particles B to obtain a polymerized toner B having the physical properties shown in Table 1. .

[Production Examples C and D of Polymerized Toner] Black suspension particles were obtained by using the same materials as in Production Example A of the polymerized toner and changing the amount of the poorly water-soluble dispersion stabilizer, stirring conditions and polymerization temperature. The black suspended particles were introduced into a hot air stream at a hot air inlet temperature of 160 ° C., and the number of particles having a weight average diameter of about 5.1 μm was adjusted by adjusting the number of particles having a weight average diameter of about 5.1 μm by combining excessive particles having a diameter of 1 μm or less. Black suspended particles C and weight average diameter 9.1 μm
To obtain black suspended particles D. To 100 parts by weight of the obtained black suspended particles C and D, 2.0 parts by weight and 1.0 part by weight of the hydrophobic silica used in Production Example A of the polymerized toner were respectively externally added. Polymerized toners C and D each having physical properties were obtained.

[Production Example E of Polymerized Toner] Using the same materials as in Production Example A of the polymerized toner except that the saturated polyester resin was not used, black suspended particles were obtained by the same means, and the black suspended particles were introduced into a hot air inlet. Introduced into a hot air stream at a temperature of 160 ° C,
By combining excessive particles of 1 μm or less,
By adjusting the number of particles below, black suspended particles E were obtained. 1.5 parts by weight of the hydrophobic silica used in Production Example A of the polymerized toner was externally added to 100 parts by weight of the obtained black suspended particles E to obtain a polymerized toner E having the physical properties shown in Table 1. .

[Production Example F of Polymerized Toner] Black suspended particles were obtained in the same manner as in Production Example A of the polymerized toner except that 63 g of the polyester resin was used. Introduce excess 1μm
The number of particles having a particle size of 1 μm or less was adjusted by combining the following particles to obtain black suspended particles F. 1.5 parts by weight of the hydrophobic silica used in Production Example A of the polymerized toner was externally added to 100 parts by weight of the obtained black suspended particles F to obtain a polymerized toner F having the physical properties shown in Table 1. .

[Production Example G of Polymerized Toner] Black suspension particles were obtained by the same means and using the same materials as in Production Example A of the polymerization toner except that the wax was not used. Introduced into a hot air stream at
The number of particles having a particle size of 1 μm or less was adjusted by uniting the following particles to obtain black suspended particles G. To 100 parts by weight of the obtained black suspended particles G, 1.5 parts by weight of the hydrophobic silica used in Production Example A of the polymerized toner was externally added to obtain a polymerized toner G having the physical properties shown in Table 1. .

[Production Example H of Polymerized Toner] Black suspended particles were obtained by the same method and using the same materials as in Production Example A of the polymerized toner except that 230 g of the ester wax was used.
The black suspended particles were introduced into a hot air stream at a hot air inlet temperature of 160 ° C., and the number of particles having an excess of 1 μm or less was adjusted to obtain black suspended particles H. To 100 parts by weight of the obtained black suspended particles H, 1.5 parts by weight of the hydrophobic silica used in Production Example A of the polymerized toner was externally added to obtain a polymerized toner H having the physical properties shown in Table 1. .

[Production Example I of Polymerized Toner] Black suspended particles were obtained by the same means and using the same materials as in Production Example A of the polymerized toner except that the ester wax was changed to low molecular weight polyethylene (softening point: 115 ° C.). Thereafter, the black suspended particles were introduced into a hot air stream at a hot air inlet temperature of 160 ° C.
The number of particles of 1 μm or less was adjusted by combining particles of m or less to obtain black suspended particles I. 1.5 parts by weight of the hydrophobic silica used in Production Example A of the polymerized toner was externally added to 100 parts by weight of the obtained black suspended particles to obtain a polymerized toner I having the physical properties shown in Table 1. .

(Production Example of Master Batch for Pulverized Toner) Styrene-butyl acrylate copolymer (copolymerization ratio: 80:20) 70 parts by weight 30 parts by weight of carbon black having a primary particle size of 40 nm 30 parts by weight of the above material using three rolls The mixture was kneaded and pulverized so as to pass a 1 mm mesh to obtain a carbon black master batch.

[Production Example a of Pulverized Toner] (Resin) 84 parts by weight of styrene-butyl acrylate copolymer (copolymerization ratio: 80:20) (colorant) 23 parts by weight of the above carbon black master batch (charge control agent) Fe compound of monoazo dye 2 parts by weight (release agent) Ester wax (softening point 75 ° C) 5 parts by weight (Other) polyester resin 5 parts by weight

The above-mentioned materials were mixed in advance and melt-kneaded at 130 ° C. using a twin-screw extruder. This melt-kneaded material was crushed by a hammer mill to obtain a crushed toner having a 1 mm mesh pass. Further, this coarsely crushed product was finely pulverized by a collision type pulverizer using a jet stream, and then subjected to air classification to obtain a black powder a having a weight average particle size of 9.8 μm. To 100 parts by weight of the obtained black powder a, 1.0 part by weight of the hydrophobic silica used in Production Example A of the polymerized toner was externally added, and pulverized toner a
I got Table 1 shows the physical properties of the obtained toner.

[Production Example b of Pulverized Toner] Using the same material as in Production Example a of the pulverized toner, black particles were obtained by the same means, and then added to an aqueous solution containing a surfactant. After spheroidizing at 75 ° C for 2 hours, filtration,
After washing with water and drying, black powder b having a weight average diameter of about 9.9 μm b
I got To 100 parts by weight of the black powder b, 1.0 part by weight of the hydrophobic silica used in Production Example a of the polymerized toner was externally added to obtain a ground toner b. Table 1 shows the physical properties of the obtained toner b.

[Production Example c of Pulverized Toner] A black powder was obtained by the same means using the same material as in Production Example a of the pulverized toner, and this black powder was introduced into a hot air stream at a hot air inlet temperature of 160 ° C. Then, the number of particles of 1 μm or less was adjusted by combining excessive particles of 1 μm or less to obtain a black powder. Next, this black powder was added to an aqueous solution containing a surfactant, and subjected to sphering treatment at 75 ° C. for 2 hours while stirring at a high speed, followed by filtration, washing with water, and drying to obtain a weight average diameter of about 9. 8 μm
Was obtained. To 100 parts by weight of the obtained black powder c, 1.0 part by weight of the hydrophobic silica used in Production Example A of the polymerized toner was externally added to obtain a ground toner c. Table 1 shows properties of the obtained toner c.

[Production Example d of Pulverized Toner] A pulverized toner d was obtained by using the same material as in Production Example a of Pulverized Toner except that the saturated polyester resin was not used, and by the same means as in Production Example c of Pulverized Toner. Table 1 shows the physical properties of the obtained toner.

[Production Example e of Pulverized Toner] (Resin) 100 parts by weight of styrene-butyl acrylate copolymer (copolymerization ratio: 80:20) (colorant) 7 parts by weight of carbon black having a primary particle diameter of 40 nm (charge control agent) ) Fe compound of monoazo dye 2 parts by weight (release agent) ester wax (softening point 75 ° C) 5 parts by weight (others) polyester resin 5 parts by weight

The above-mentioned materials were mixed in advance and melt-kneaded at 130 ° C. using a twin-screw extruder. This melt-kneaded material was crushed by a hammer mill to obtain a crushed toner having a 1 mm mesh pass. Further, the crushed material was finely pulverized by a collision type pulverizer using a jet stream to obtain a black powder. next,
This black powder is introduced into a hot air stream at a hot air inlet temperature of 160 ° C., and excessive 1 μm or less particles are coalesced to form a black powder.
The number of particles having a particle size of μm or less was adjusted to obtain a black powder. Thereafter, the mixture was added to an aqueous solution containing a surfactant, and subjected to sphering treatment at 75 ° C. for 2 hours while stirring at a high speed. I got
To 100 parts by weight of the obtained black powder e, 1.0 part by weight of the hydrophobic silica used in Production Example A of the polymerized toner was externally added to obtain a ground toner e. Table 1 shows the physical properties of the obtained toner.

[0137]

[Table 1]

Embodiment 1 Embodiment 1 will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are cross-sectional views of the image forming apparatus and the developing apparatus according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, a photosensitive drum 1 as a latent image carrier rotates in a direction of an arrow A, and is uniformly charged by a charging device 2 for charging the photosensitive drum 1, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 1. An electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface by the laser beam 3, which is an exposure unit for writing.

This electrostatic latent image is developed by a developing device 4 which is disposed close to the photosensitive drum 1 and is detachable from the image forming apparatus as a process cartridge, and is visualized as a toner image (toner image The so-called reversal development is performed.)

The visualized toner image on the photosensitive drum 1 is transferred by a transfer roller 9 onto a recording medium paper 13, and the transfer residual toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 1 without being transferred is scraped off by a cleaning blade 10. The photosensitive drum 1 stored and cleaned in the waste toner container 11 repeats the above operation to form an image.

On the other hand, the paper 13 onto which the toner image has been transferred is subjected to a fixing process by the fixing device 12, discharged outside the device, and the printing operation is completed.

FIG. 2 shows the developing device 4 according to this embodiment.
This will be further described based on

In FIG. 2, a developing container 14 contains a non-magnetic one-component toner 8 as a developer.
Is provided with a developing sleeve 5 as a developer carrier, which is located at an opening extending in the longitudinal direction in the developing container 14 and is opposed to the photosensitive drum 1, and develops an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 1. And visualize it.

In the developing device 4, the developing sleeve 5 is formed such that the substantially half right peripheral surface shown in the figure at the opening is in the developing container 1.
4, and is laterally provided with a substantially left half circumferential surface exposed outside the developing container 14. The surface exposed outside the developing container 14 is
The photosensitive drum 1 faces the photosensitive drum 1 located on the left side of the developing device 4 with a slight minute interval. The developing sleeve 5 has an arrow B
, And the surface thereof has appropriate irregularities for increasing the probability of sliding with the toner 8 and satisfactorily conveying the toner 8.

An elastic blade 7 is provided at an upper position of the elastic blade 7 so as to be supported by the holding metal plate 15 so that the vicinity of the free end is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve 5 by surface contact. The contact direction is a so-called counter direction in which the leading end side with respect to the contact portion is located on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the developing sleeve 5.

The elastic blade 7 is formed by bonding or injection molding a polyamide elastomer as an elastic body 16 on a metal sheet 17 of SUS or phosphor bronze having spring elasticity. In this case, the pressure contact force of the elastic blade 7 with respect to the negative toner 5 is maintained while the negative polarity toner 8 is charged with a polyamide elastomer. The material and manufacturing method of the elastic blade 7 will be described later in detail.

The elastic roller 6 is in contact with the contact portion of the elastic blade 7 with the surface of the developing sleeve 5 on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the developing sleeve 5 and is rotatably supported.

In the developing device 4 as described above, during the developing operation, the toner 8 in the developing container 14 is
Is sent in the direction of the elastic roller 6 with the rotation in the direction of arrow C.

Further, the toner 8 is carried to the vicinity of the developing sleeve 5 by the rotation of the elastic roller 6 in the direction of arrow D, and is carried on the elastic roller 6 at the contact portion between the developing sleeve 5 and the elastic roller 6. The toner 8 is frictionally charged by being rubbed with the developing sleeve 5 and adheres to the developing sleeve 5.

Thereafter, as the developing sleeve 5 rotates in the direction of arrow B, it is sent under pressure of the elastic blade 7 and receives an appropriate amount of triboelectric charge. The sheet is conveyed to a developing section, which is a section opposite to the developing section 1.

The undeveloped toner that has not been consumed in the developing section is transferred to the developing sleeve 5 as the developing sleeve 5 rotates.
Collected from the bottom of This collection part has a sealing member 1
9 is provided to allow the undeveloped toner to pass into the developing container 14 and to prevent the toner 8 in the developing container 14 from leaking from the lower portion of the developing sleeve 5.

The collected undeveloped toner on the developing sleeve 5 is peeled off from the surface of the developing sleeve 5 at the contact portion between the elastic roller 6 and the developing sleeve 5. Most of the stripped toner is conveyed along with the rotation of the elastic roller 6 and mixed with the toner 8 in the developing container 14 to disperse the charge of the toner. At the same time, new toner is supplied onto the developing sleeve 5 by the rotation of the elastic roller 6, and the above operation is repeated.

In the developing section, the latent image on the photosensitive drum 1 is transferred between the developing sleeve 5 and the photosensitive drum 1 by a power source 20.
AC voltage (Developing AC bias) with DC superimposed by
And is developed as a toner image.

Next, specific examples of each component in the developing device 4 in this embodiment will be described below.

The developing sleeve 5 has a surface made of aluminum having a diameter of 16 mm and subjected to a fixed blasting treatment with glass beads (# 600) to have a surface roughness Rz of about 3 μm, and a gap with the photosensitive drum 1 is 300 μm. The photosensitive drum 1 was rotated at a peripheral speed of 80 mm / s, which was slightly faster than the peripheral speed of 50 mm / s of the photosensitive drum 1.

As toner 8, polymerized toner B was used as a non-magnetic one-component developer.

The elastic roller 6 has a sponge structure or a fur brush structure in which fibers such as rayon and nylon are planted on a cored bar, from the viewpoint of supplying the toner 8 to the developing sleeve 5 and removing the undeveloped toner. Preferably, in the present embodiment, an elastic roller 6 having a diameter of 12 mm provided with a rubber sponge on a cored bar is used. The elastic roller 6 was brought into contact with the developing sleeve 5 and further rotated in the same direction as the developing sleeve 5 by driving means (not shown).

Next, the elastic blade 7 according to the present invention will be described in detail.

As described above, the polyamide elastomer is obtained by bonding a polyamide and a polyether through an ester bond or an amide bond.

As the polyamide component, polyamide 6,6
Comprising a copolyamide obtained from polycondensation of 6,6,12,11,12,12,12 or their monomers,
Preferably, a polyamide obtained by carboxylating a terminal amino group of a polyamide with a dibasic acid or the like is used. Examples of the dibasic acid include aliphatic saturated dicarboxylic acids such as oxalic acid, succinic acid, adipic acid, suberic acid, sebacic acid and dodecane diacid; aliphatic unsaturated dicarboxylic acids such as maleic acid; phthalic acid and terephthalic acid Aromatic dicarboxylic acids; and polydicarboxylic acids composed of the above dibasic acids and diols such as ethylene glycol, butanediol, hexanediol and octanediol are used.

As the polyether component, homopolymerized or copolymerized polyether diols such as polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, and polytetramethylene glycol, and polyether diamines having both terminals aminated are used.

In the present embodiment, a 1 mm thick phosphor bronze thin metal plate 17 having a spring elasticity and
mm, a polyamide elastomer is molded as the elastic body 16. Specifically, a polyamide elastomer is reacted with dodecane diacid as a dibasic acid using 12-nylon as a polyamide component, synthesized using polytetramethylene glycol as a polyether component, dried for a predetermined time, and then melted by injection molding. 200 ° C,
At a mold temperature of 30 ° C., the elastic blade 7 was produced by directly molding into a mold equipped with a thin metal plate 17.

In order to clarify the appropriate hardness range of the polyamide elastomer, the present inventors first made a prototype of a polyamide elastomer having different hardnesses provided on a thin metal plate 17 by the above method. As a unit of hardness, Shore D hardness (ASTM D2240) generally used to represent the hardness of a resin was used.

In examining the appropriate Shore D hardness range, a prototype elastic blade was mounted on the developing device of this embodiment so that the contact pressure became 20 g, and the blade was subjected to a high temperature and high humidity environment (3
A printing operation of 3,000 sheets was performed at 5 ° C./90% RH). In particular, fog on an image and a toner coating state on the developing sleeve 5 were observed and evaluated.

At this time, at the time of the developing operation, the developing bias applied to the developing sleeve 5 from the power source 20 has a frequency of 2000.
Hz, AC voltage with peak-to-peak voltage of 1600V-
The surface potential of the latent image on the photosensitive drum 1 was changed to -600 V in the non-exposed area and -150 V in the exposed area, and reversal development was performed on the exposed area.

Table 2 shows the evaluation results of each material.

As is clear from Table 2, when the Shore D hardness is 20 degrees, fog on the image occurs from the beginning of the printing operation, and this fog does not occur when the Shore D hardness is 25 degrees or more. This is because, as described above, the polyamide elastomer having a low Shore D hardness has a too low content of a polyamide component in its structure, so that the electron donating property to the negative toner is too low.

If the Shore D hardness is 70 degrees, 30
In the printing operation of 00 sheets, uneven toner coating on the developing sleeve and streaks occurred. On the other hand, if the Shore D hardness was 65 degrees or less, no coating unevenness occurred. The cause of the unevenness is due to the fusion of the toner to the surface of the elastic blade, and an excessive force is locally applied to the toner because the hardness of the polyamide elastomer is too high. Furthermore, Shore D is shown in the table as a comparative example.
The evaluation results of the polyamide resin having a hardness of 74 degrees are also described, but the coating on the developing sleeve is slightly uneven from the initial state.
No coating streaks occurred on 0 sheets. The reason why the coating unevenness occurred from the initial state is that it was too hard to obtain a uniform contact nip in the longitudinal direction, and the durability of the coating streak was also high. This is due to fusion.

Therefore, by setting the Shore D hardness of the polyamide elastomer to 25 degrees or more and 65 degrees or less, it is possible to obtain a desired frictional charging ability with respect to the toner in a high-temperature and high-humidity environment. It is possible to prevent fusion of the toner to the surface. As a result, a uniform toner coating could be stably obtained from the initial state.

[0171]

[Table 2]

[0172] The usage mode of the elastic blade 7 is as follows.
In this embodiment, it is also possible to eliminate the metal thin plate 17 and use a plate blade made of polyamide elastomer.

That is, the polyamide elastomer itself comes into contact with the developing sleeve by the spring elasticity of the polyamide elastomer itself. As described above, since the polyamide elastomer of the present invention has elasticity due to the polyether component, it is possible to eliminate the need for a thin metal plate for regulating pressure and to achieve a simple configuration.

In this case, the appropriate hardness range of the polyamide elastomer is also preferably such that the Shore D hardness is 25 degrees or more and 65 degrees or less.

Example 2 Using a polyamide elastomer having a Shore hardness of 45 degrees,
In a developing device and a developing process having the same configuration as in Example 1, printing operation of 3000 sheets is performed in a low humidity environment (20 ° C./7% RH), and in addition to initial resolution and paper back stain due to offset, In particular, the density unevenness on the image and the toner coating state on the developing sleeve were observed and evaluated.

The resolving power in the early stage of durability was evaluated by the reproducibility of one small-diameter isolated dot at 600 dpi, in which the electric field was easily closed by the latent image electric field and it was difficult to reproduce. ◎ Very good: 5 or less defects in 100 ○ Good: 6 to 10 defects in 100 △ Practical acceptable: 11 to 20 defects in 100 × Not practical: defect in 100 Is over 20

The anti-offset property was evaluated by observing the stains generated on the back side of the image samples from the initial stage to the endurance of 100 sheets.

In this embodiment, the polymerized toner B was used as the toner, and the polyamide elastomer having a Shore hardness of 45 degrees was used as the blade.

As a result, a clear image with good offset resistance and high resolution was obtained without coating unevenness and image density unevenness until after the printing operation of 3000 sheets.

Example 3 The same experiment as in Example 2 was carried out using the polymerized toner C. As a result, there was no coating unevenness or image density unevenness, and the offset resistance was good until after the printing operation of 3000 sheets.
A very clear image with very high resolution was obtained.

Examples 4 to 12 Example 2 was repeated using polymerized toners D to I and ground toners c to e.
The same experiment was performed.

Table 3 shows the results. As you can see from the table,
In the image forming method of the present invention, the value of A / B is 0.8 to 0.8.
By using the toner having the range of 1.04, good durability can be obtained under low humidity.

Comparative Example 1 The same experiment as in Example 2 was performed using the polymerized toner A. As a result, a coating streak started to form on the toner layer on the sleeve from about 1,000 prints. 18 were seen. At this point, when the polyamide elastomer blade was observed, fusion of the toner was observed corresponding to the location where the streaks occurred. Further, image density unevenness began to occur from about 1000 sheets.

As can be seen from the value of A / B = 1.06, since the polymerized toner A contains a large amount of particles of 1 μm or less, a large amount of toner adheres to the blade or the sleeve, and It is considered that image density unevenness occurred due to toner fusion and uneven charging.

In addition, since the particles contained a large amount of particles of 1 μm or less, an image having very high resolution was obtained at the beginning of printing.

Comparative Example 2 An experiment similar to that of Example 2 was performed using the pulverized toner a. Coating streaks began to form on the toner layer on the sleeve from about 200 sheets of printing operation. 19 were seen. At this point, when the polyamide elastomer blade was observed, fusion of the toner was observed corresponding to the location where the streaks occurred. Further, image density unevenness began to occur from about 600 sheets.

As can be seen from the value of A / B = 1.07, since the pulverized toner a contains a large amount of particles having a particle size of 1 μm or less, a large amount of toner adheres to the blade or the sleeve. It is considered that image density unevenness occurred due to toner fusion and uneven charging.

In addition, the resolution of the initial image was not good.

Comparative Example 3 An experiment similar to that of Example 2 was performed using the pulverized toner b. As a result, a coating streak started to form on the toner layer on the sleeve after about 500 printing operations. Eleven were seen. At this point, when the polyamide elastomer blade was observed, fusion of the toner was observed corresponding to the location where the streaks occurred. Further, image density unevenness began to occur from about 800 sheets.

As can be seen from the value of A / B = 1.05, since the pulverized toner b contains a large amount of particles of 1 μm or less, a large amount of toner adheres to the blade or the sleeve, and It is considered that image density unevenness occurred due to toner fusion and uneven charging.

[0191]

[Table 3]

[Production Example J of Polymerized Toner] In a two-liter four-necked flask, 710 g of ion-exchanged water and 0.1 M-N
a ₃ PO ₄ aqueous solution 450 g, and 1.0 M-CaCl ₂ aqueous solution 68g were placed in the heating of a 60 ° C., a high speed stirrer T
While stirring at a high speed using a K-type homomixer (manufactured by Tokushu Kika Kogyo Co., Ltd.), an aqueous dispersion medium containing a minute water-insoluble dispersion stabilizer was obtained.

On the other hand, as a dispersoid, (monomer) styrene 160 g n-butyl acrylate 40 g (colorant) C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 97 8 g (charge control agent) Al compound of 2,5-di-tert-butylsalicylic acid 4 g (release agent) Ester wax (softening point 75 ° C.) 10 g (others) 10 g of polyester resin are prepared, and all of the above formulations are prepared. Was heated to 60 ° C., and dissolved and dispersed to obtain a monomer mixture. Further, while maintaining the temperature at 60 ° C., 10 g of an initiator 2,2′-azobis (2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) was added and dissolved to prepare a monomer composition.

The monomer composition was charged into the aqueous dispersion medium prepared in the 2-liter flask of the homomixer. At 60 ° C., using a TK homomixer, 10,000
The mixture was stirred at rpm for 20 minutes to granulate the monomer composition. Thereafter, the mixture was reacted at 60 ° C. for 6 hours while stirring with a paddle stirring blade, and then polymerized at 80 ° C. for 10 hours.

After the completion of the polymerization reaction, the reaction product was cooled, hydrochloric acid was added, and the mixture was filtered, washed with water and dried to obtain colored suspended particles.

Next, the obtained colored suspended particles are introduced into a hot air stream at a hot air inlet temperature of 160 ° C., and excessive 1 μm or less particles are coalesced to adjust the number of particles of 1 μm or less. Colored suspended particles J having an average diameter of about 6.7 μm were obtained.

To 100 parts by weight of the obtained colored suspended particles J, 1.5 parts by weight of the hydrophobic silica used in Production Example A of the polymerized toner was externally added to obtain a polymerized toner J. Table 4 shows properties of the obtained polymerized toner J.

[Production Example K of Polymerized Toner] Using the same materials as in Production Example J of the polymerized toner, colored suspension particles were obtained by the same process while adjusting the stirring speed.

Next, the obtained colored suspended particles were introduced into a hot air stream at a hot air inlet temperature of 160 ° C., and excessive 1 μm or less particles were united to adjust the number of particles of 1 μm or less to obtain a weight. Colored suspended particles K having an average diameter of about 6.9 μm were obtained.

To 100 parts by weight of the obtained colored suspension particles K, 1.5 parts by weight of the hydrophobic silica used in Production Example A of the polymerized toner was externally added, and the polymerized toner K having the physical properties shown in Table 4 was obtained. I got

[Production Example L of Polymerized Toner] 160 g of styrene (monomer) 40 g of n-butyl acrylate as a dispersoid (colorant) I. Pigment Yellow 178 g (charge control agent) Al compound of 2,5-di-tert-butylsalicylic acid 4 g (release agent) Ester wax (softening point 75 ° C.) 10 g (others) Except for using 10 g of polyester resin, Polymerized toner L having the physical properties shown in Table 4 was obtained in the same manner as in Production Example K.

[Production Examples of Polymerized Toner M, N] (Monomer) Styrene 160 g n-butyl acrylate 40 g (colorant) I. Pigment Red 57: 18 g (Charge control agent) Al compound of 2,5-di-tert-butylsalicylic acid 4 g (Release agent) Ester wax (softening point 75 ° C.) 10 g (Others) Polymerization except using 10 g of polyester resin Polymerized toners M and N having the physical properties shown in Table 4 were obtained in the same manner as in Production Examples J and K of the toner.

[Production Example O of Polymerized Toner] 160 g of (monomer) styrene 40 g of n-butyl acrylate (colorant) I. Pigment Red 202 8 g (charge control agent) Al compound of 2,5-di-tert-butylsalicylic acid 4 g (release agent) Ester wax (softening point 75 ° C.) Except for using 10 g of the same method as in Polymerized toner production example K. As a result, a polymerized toner O having the physical properties shown in Table 4 was obtained.

[Production Examples P and Q of Polymerized Toner] 160 g of styrene (monomer) 40 g of n-butyl acrylate (coloring agent) as dispersoid I. Pigment Blue 15: 38 g (Charge control agent) Al compound of 2,5-di-tert-butylsalicylic acid 4 g (Releasing agent) Ester wax 10 g (Others) Except using polyester resin 10 g, Production Example J of polymerized toner and Polymerized toners P and Q having the physical properties shown in Table 4 were obtained in the same manner as in K.

[0205]

[Table 4]

Examples 13 to 20 The same experiment as in Example 2 was performed using the polymerized toners J to Q. Table 5 shows the results.

As can be seen from the table, in the image forming method of the present invention, by using toners J to Q having an A / B value in the range of 0.8 to 1.04, good durability under low humidity can be obtained. Property is obtained.

[0208]

[Table 5]

Embodiment 21 The cleaning member 1 in the image forming apparatus in Embodiment 2
0 and 11 were removed, and the applied voltage was set to a DC component (-1400 V) in the charging method of the device.

Next, the developing portion of the process cartridge was modified. Medium resistance rubber roller (16φ, hardness A) made of urethane foam as a sleeve as a toner carrier
(SKER C 45 °, resistance 10 ⁵ Ω · cm) was used as a toner carrier and was in contact with the photoreceptor. Further, the applied voltage at the time of development was only the DC component (−450 V).

Under the above conditions, using the polymerized toner B,
The printing operation of 000 sheets was performed and the durability was evaluated. From the initial stage to after 1000 sheets, there were no coating streaks or image density unevenness, no image stains due to charging failures were observed, and the image density was high and the resolution was high. Image was obtained stably.

Examples 22 to 24 The same experiment as in Example 21 was carried out using the polymerized toners K, N and Q. When any of the toners was used, the coating streaks and the There is no density unevenness, no image stain due to poor charging,
An image having high image density and high resolution was stably obtained.

[0213]

As described above, in the image forming method of the present invention, the elastic blade made of a polyamide elastomer having a Shore D hardness of at least 25 degrees and not more than 65 degrees at the nip portion in contact with the developing sleeve is used. A toner having a specific particle size distribution is used as an agent.

In particular, the toner has a sufficient triboelectric charging ability under high humidity with respect to the negative polarity toner to prevent image fog, and is generated when the developing operation is repeated under high temperature and high humidity, and further under low humidity. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of image unevenness and image streaks caused by toner coating unevenness due to toner fusion, to stably obtain a high-resolution image free from image stains due to offset, and to provide a good image on the developer carrier. The developer thin layer can be formed stably.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of an image forming apparatus using a developing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of a developing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 photosensitive drum (electrostatic latent image carrier) 2 charging device 3 laser beam 4 developing device 5 developing sleeve (developer carrier) 6 elastic roller 7 elastic blade 8 toner (developer) 9 transfer roller 10 cleaning blade 11 waste toner Storage container 12 Fixing device 13 Paper (transfer material) 14 Developing container 15 Pressing sheet metal 16 Elastic body 17 Thin metal plate 20 Power supply 18 Stirring member 19 Seal member

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification symbol FI G03G 9/08 384 (72) Inventor Satoshi Yoshida 3- 30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc.

Claims (35)

[Claims] An electrostatic latent image is developed using a developing device having a rotating developer carrier and a developer regulating member in contact with the developer carrier via a developer. In the image forming method for forming a toner image on an electrostatic latent image carrier, the developer regulating member is formed of a polyamide-containing elastomer having a Shore D hardness of 25 degrees or more and 65 degrees or less at least in a contact portion with the developer carrier. The developer has at least a toner, the toner contains at least a colorant, and a toner concentration of 1 g in a transmission light spectrum in a state where the toner is dispersed in an aqueous solution.
260nm and 400 when converted to / liter
An image forming method, wherein A and B satisfy the following formula: 0.80 ≦ A / B ≦ 1.04, where A and B represent absorbance in nm. 2. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein the value of the shape factor SF-1 measured by the toner image analyzer satisfies the following expression: 100 <SF-1 ≦ 140. 3. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein the value of the shape factor SF-2 measured by the toner image analyzer satisfies the following expression: 100 <SF-2 ≦ 140. . 4. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein the toner has a weight average particle diameter of 1 to 9 μm. 5. The toner according to claim 1, wherein the toner contains a wax having a softening point of 40 ° C. to 90 ° C.
The image forming method according to any one of the above. 6. The toner according to claim 1, wherein the content of the wax is
The image forming method according to claim 5, wherein the content is 0.1 to 50% by weight. 7. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein a part or the whole of the toner is formed by a polymerization method. 8. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein the toner contains 0.1 to 20% by weight of the polyester resin based on the whole toner. 9. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein the toner contains a metal salt or a metal complex of an aromatic carboxylic acid derivative. 10. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein the toner is a black toner manufactured using a carbon black masterbatch. 11. In a transmitted light spectrum in a state where the toner is dispersed in an aqueous solution, when the absorbances at wavelengths 260 nm and 400 nm when the toner concentration is converted to 1 g / liter are A and B, A and B are The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein the following formula is satisfied: 0.80 ≦ A / B ≦ 1.01. 12. The transmission light spectrum of the toner in a state of being dispersed in an aqueous solution is 400 nm to 500 nm.
m, and has an absorption peak in the wavelength region of
260nm and 400n when converted to liter
10. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein A and B satisfy the following formula: 0.85 ≦ A / B ≦ 1.00 when the absorbance at m is A and B. . 13. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein the toner is a yellow toner. 14. A transmission light spectrum in a state where the toner is dispersed in an aqueous solution.
m, and has an absorption peak in the wavelength region of
260nm and 400n when converted to liter
10. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein A and B satisfy the following formula: 0.87 ≦ A / B ≦ 1.02 when the absorbance at m is A and B. . 15. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein the toner is a magenta toner. 16. A transmission light spectrum in a state where the toner is dispersed in an aqueous solution has a wavelength of 600 nm to 800 nm.
m, and has an absorption peak in the wavelength region of
260nm and 400n when converted to liter
10. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein A and B satisfy the following formula: 0.89 ≦ A / B ≦ 1.04, where A and B represent the absorbance at m. . 17. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein the toner is a cyan toner. 18. A transfer step comprising forming an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive member by charging and image exposure, visualizing the electrostatic latent image with toner, and transferring the electrostatic latent image to a transfer material. And an image forming method including a step of recovering toner remaining on the photoreceptor by a developing step, wherein the developing step includes: a developing container containing a developer; a developer contained in the developing container; Developing the electrostatic latent image using a developing kit having a rotating developer carrier extending to the opening of the container and a developer regulating member in contact with the developer carrier via a developer. The developer regulating member is made of a polyamide-containing elastomer having a Shore D hardness of 25 degrees or more and 65 degrees or less at least at a contact portion with the developer carrier, and the developer contains at least a toner. And said Tona In the transmitted light spectrum in a state where the toner contains at least a colorant and the toner is dispersed in an aqueous solution, the toner concentration is 1 g
260nm and 400 when converted to / liter
An image forming method, wherein A and B satisfy the following formula: 0.80 ≦ A / B ≦ 1.04, where A and B represent absorbance in nm. 19. The image forming method according to claim 18, wherein the value of the shape factor SF-1 measured by the toner image analyzer satisfies the following expression: 100 <SF-1 ≦ 140. 20. The image forming method according to claim 18, wherein the value of the shape factor SF-2 measured by the toner image analyzer satisfies the following expression: 100 <SF-2 ≦ 140. . 21. The image forming method according to claim 18, wherein the toner has a weight average particle diameter of 1 to 9 μm. 22. The image forming method according to claim 18, wherein the toner contains a wax having a softening point of 40 ° C. to 90 ° C. 23. The image forming method according to claim 22, wherein the content of the wax is 0.1 to 50% by weight based on the whole toner. 24. The image forming method according to claim 18, wherein a part or the whole of the toner is formed by a polymerization method. 25. The image forming method according to claim 18, wherein the toner contains 0.1 to 20% by weight of the polyester resin based on the whole toner. 26. The image forming method according to claim 18, wherein the toner contains a metal salt or a metal complex of an aromatic carboxylic acid derivative. 27. The image forming method according to claim 18, wherein the toner is a black toner manufactured using a carbon black master batch. 28. In a transmitted light spectrum in a state where the toner is dispersed in an aqueous solution, when the absorbance at wavelengths 260 nm and 400 nm is A and B when the toner concentration is converted to 1 g / liter, A and B are The image forming method according to claim 18, wherein the following formula is satisfied: 0.80 ≦ A / B ≦ 1.01. 29. A transmission light spectrum in a state where the toner is dispersed in an aqueous solution,
m, and has an absorption peak in the wavelength region of
260nm and 400n when converted to liter
28. The image forming method according to claim 18, wherein A and B satisfy the following formula: 0.85 ≦ A / B ≦ 1.00, where A and B represent the absorbance at m. . 30. The image forming method according to claim 18, wherein the toner is a yellow toner. 31. A transmission light spectrum in a state where the toner is dispersed in an aqueous solution,
m, and has an absorption peak in the wavelength region of
260nm and 400n when converted to liter
27. The image forming method according to claim 18, wherein A and B satisfy the following formula: 0.87 ≦ A / B ≦ 1.02 when the absorbance at m is A and B. . 32. The image forming method according to claim 18, wherein the toner is a magenta toner. 33. A transmission light spectrum in a state where the toner is dispersed in an aqueous solution,
m, and has an absorption peak in the wavelength region of
260nm and 400n when converted to liter
27. The image forming method according to claim 18, wherein, when the absorbance at m is A and B, A and B satisfy the following expression: 0.89 ≦ A / B ≦ 1.04. . 34. The image forming method according to claim 18, wherein the toner is a cyan toner. 35. A developer container containing a developer, a developer contained in the developer container, a rotating developer carrier extending to an opening of the developer container, and a developer container. The image forming apparatus used in the image forming method according to any one of claims 1 to 34, further comprising a developer regulating member contacted with a developer interposed therebetween.