Brightness toner, development, toner cartridge, process cartridge, image forming apparatus, and method for producing the brightness toner

1. An electrostatic image developing toner comprising:

first toner particles which contain a first binder resin and a brightness pigment, the first toner particles having a flat shape; and

second toner particles which contain a second binder resin and have a substantial spherical shape,

wherein a proportion of the second toner particles is in a range from 5% by number to 80% by number with respect to a total number of all toner particles,

wherein the electrostatic image developing toner satisfies the following formula:

Formula: 2≦ A/B≦ 100

wherein A represents a reflectance at an acceptance angle of +30° and B represents a reflectance at an acceptance angle of −30°, both of the reflectances being measured when light is irradiated at an incidence angle of −45° onto a solid image formed with the electrostatic image developing toner by using a goniophotometer, and

wherein a ratio of average maximum thickness C to average equivalent circle diameter D (C/D) of the first toner particles is a range from 0.010 to 0.200.

2. The electrostatic image developing toner according to claim 1 ,

wherein the proportion of the second toner particles is in a range from 10% by number to 50% by number with respect to the total number of all toner particles.

3. The electrostatic image developing toner according to claim 1 ,

wherein the proportion of the second toner particles is in a range from 15% by number to 40% by number with respect to the total number of all toner particles.

4. The electrostatic image developing toner according to claim 1 ,

wherein the brightness pigment is in rod shape.

5. The electrostatic image developing toner according to claim 1 , which satisfies 20≦A/B≦90.

6. The electrostatic image developing toner according to claim 1 ,

wherein the first binder resin is the same as the second binder resin.

7. An electrostatic image developer comprising the electrostatic image developing toner according to claim 1 .

8. The electrostatic image developer according to claim 7 ,

wherein the proportion of the second toner particles is in a range from 10% by number to 50% by number with respect to the total number of all toner particles.

9. An image forming method comprising:

charging a surface of an image holding member;

forming an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the image holding member;

developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the image holding member by using a developer to form a toner image; and

transferring the toner image onto a transfer-receiving member,

wherein the developer is the electrostatic image developer according to claim 7 .

10. The image forming method according to claim 9 ,

wherein the proportion of the second toner particles is in a range from 10% by number to 50% by number with respect to the total number of all toner particles.