Toner, developer, toner cartridge, and image forming apparatus
View Patent ↗Provided is a toner wherein when a solid image formed by the toner is irradiated with incident light at an incident angle of −45° using a goniophotometer, a ratio (A/B) of a reflectance A at a light-receiving angle of +30° to a reflectance B at a light-receiving angle of −30° is about 2 or more and about 100 or less.
1. A toner comprising:
pigment particles including aluminum particles having a flaky shape and a resin;
wherein when a solid image formed by the toner is irradiated with incident light at an incident angle of −45° using a goniophotometer, a ratio (A/B) of a reflectance A at a light-receiving angle of +30° to a reflectance B at a light-receiving angle of −30° is about 2 or more and about 100 or less;
toner has a flat shape; and
the toner has a ratio (C/D) of an average maximum thickness C to an average equivalent-circle diameter D in the range of about 0.001 or more and about 0.500 or less.
2. The toner according to claim 1 , wherein
when a cross section of the toner in a thickness direction thereof is observed, the number of pigment particles arranged so that an angle formed by a long axis direction of the toner in the cross section and a long axis direction of a pigment particle is in the range of −30° to +30° is about 60% or more of the total number of pigment particles observed.
3. The toner according to claim 1 , wherein the ratio (A/B) is about 20 or more and about 90 or less.
4. A developer comprising:
the toner according to claim 1 ; and
a carrier.
5. The developer according to claim 4 , wherein
when a cross section of the toner in a thickness direction thereof is observed, the number of pigment particles arranged so that an angle formed by a long axis direction of the toner in the cross section and a long axis direction of a pigment particle is in the range of −30° to +30° is about 60% or more of the total number of pigment particles observed.
6. A toner cartridge comprising:
a container that contains the toner according to claim 1 .
7. The toner cartridge according to claim 6 , wherein
when a cross section of the toner in a thickness direction thereof is observed, the number of pigment particles arranged so that an angle formed by a long axis direction of the toner in the cross section and a long axis direction of a pigment particle is in the range of −30° to +30° is about 60% or more of the total number of pigment particles observed.
8. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an image holding member;
a charging device that charges a surface of the image holding member;
a latent image forming device that forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the image holding member;
a developing device that develops the electrostatic latent image with the toner according to claim 1 to form a toner image; and
a transfer device that transfers the toner image formed on the surface of the image holding member to a surface of a recording medium.
9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
when a cross section of the toner in a thickness direction thereof is observed, the number of pigment particles arranged so that an angle formed by a long axis direction of the toner in the cross section and a long axis direction of a pigment particle is in the range of −30° to +30° is about 60% or more of the total number of pigment particles observed.