Magenta toner for developing electrostatic images, process for production thereof, developer and image-forming method

1. A magenta toner for developing electrostatic images which comprises a binder resin and a colorant,

wherein the colorant includes a mixed crystal of two or more colorants selected from quinacridone colorants and monoazo colorants, and

when a solid patch is fixed on art paper complying with the ISO standard by using the toner, a resulting fixed image color satisfies at least one of the following formulae (A) and (B):

( b *)<0.85( a *)−67.92  ( A )

( b *)>−7.94( a *)+591.85  ( B ), and

wherein the color difference ΔE between the color of the fixed image and the color defined by L*: 46.6, a*: 75.1 and b*: −4.4 is less than 6.

2. A magenta toner according to claim 1 , wherein the quinacridone colorant is a compound represented by the following formula (1):

wherein X 1 and X 2 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an alkyl group or an alkoxy group.

3. A magenta toner according to claim 1 , wherein the monoazo colorant is a compound represented by the following formula (2):

wherein R 1 , R 2 and R 3 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, a nitro group, an amido group, a sulfonyl group or a sulfamoyl group; R 4 represents a group selected from the following groups:

wherein R 5 , R 6 , R 7 and R 8 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an alkyl group or a nitro group.

4. A magenta toner according to claim 2 , wherein the quinacridone colorant is selected from C.I. Pigment Red 122, C.I. Pigment Red 202, and C.I. Pigment Violet 19 as named in Color Index, 4th Edition.

5. A magenta toner according to claim 3 , wherein the monoazo colorant is selected from the group consisting of C.I. Pigment Red 5, C.I. Pigment Red 31, C.I. Pigment Red 146, C.I. Pigment Red 150, C.I. Pigment Red 176, C.I. Pigment Red 185, and C.I. Pigment Red 238 as named in Color Index, 4th Edition.

6. A magenta toner according to claim 1 , wherein the mixed crystal comprises two colorants in a mixing weight ratio ranging from 1:99 to 99:1.

7. A magenta toner according to claim 1 , wherein the mixed crystal is obtained by dissolving the two or more colorants in sulfuric acid and then recrystallizing them together.

8. A magenta toner according to claim 1 , wherein the magenta toner has a volume average particle diameter of 2 to 9 μm and a volume average particle size distribution GSD v of 1.30 or less.

9. A magenta toner according to claim 1 , further comprising a releasing agent.

10. A method for producing a toner for developing electrostatic images, the method comprising:

a step of preparing an aggregated particle dispersion by mixing a resin particle dispersion obtained by dispersing resin particles and a colorant dispersion obtained by dispersing a colorant in an aqueous medium, and making the resin particles and the colorant aggregate to form aggregated particles; and

a step of forming toner particles by heating and fusing the aggregated particles;

wherein the toner is a magenta toner in which the colorant includes a mixed crystal of two or more colorants selected from quinacridone colorants and monoazo colorants and

when a solid patch is fixed on art paper complying with the ISO standard by using the toner, a resulting fixed image color satisfies at least one of the following formulae (A) and (B):

( b *)<0.85( a *)−67.92  ( A )

( b *)>−7.94( a *)+591.85  ( B ), and

wherein the color difference ΔE between the color of the fixed image and the color defined by L*: 46.6, a*: 75.1 and b*: −4.4 is less than 6.

11. A method according to claim 10 , wherein the colorant dispersion is obtained by dispersing the colorant in the aqueous medium by means of an ultrasonic dispersing apparatus or a high-pressure impact dispersing apparatus.

12. An electrostatic image developer comprising a carrier and a magenta toner,

wherein the magenta toner comprises a binder and a colorant, said colorant including a mixed crystal of two or more colorants selected from quinacridone colorants and monoazo colorants, and

when a solid patch is fixed on art paper complying with the ISO standard by using the toner, a resulting fixed image color satisfies at least one of the following formulae (A) and (B):

( b *)<0.85( a *)−67.92  ( A )

( b *)>−7.94( a *)+591.85  ( B ), and

wherein the color difference ΔE between the color of the fixed image and the color defined by L*: 46.6, a*: 75.1 and b*: −4.4 is less than 6.

13. An electrostatic image developer according to claim 12 , wherein the carrier has a resin coating layer.

14. An image-forming method, comprising:

a step of forming an electrostatic latent image on an electrostatic latent image holding member;

a step of developing the electrostatic latent image with a developer layer on a developer holding member layer to form a toner image;

a step of transferring the toner image onto a transfer member; and

a step of cleaning to remove a toner for developing electrostatic images remaining on the electrostatic latent image holding member,

wherein the developer contains a magenta toner including a colorant, which comprises a mixed crystal of two or more colorants selected from quinacridone colorants and monoazo colorants, and when a solid patch is fixed on art paper complying with the ISO standard by using the toner, a resulting fixed image color satisfies at least one of the following formulae (A) and (B):

( b *)<0.85( a *)−67.92  ( A )

( b *)>−7.94( a *)+591.85  ( B ), and

wherein the color difference ΔE between the color of the fixed image and the color defined by L*: 46.6, a*: 75.1 and b*: −4.4 is less than 6.