Electrostatic charge image developer, process cartridge, image forming apparatus, and image forming method

1. An electrostatic charge image developer comprising a mixture including:

a first toner that contains a binder resin and a brilliant pigment;

a second toner that contains a binder resin without a brilliant pigment; and

a carrier,

wherein the developer satisfies the following formulae,

5 μm≦ A ≦30 μm  (1)

1 μm≦ B ≦15 μm  (2)

3.0 ≦C/A≦ 5.0  (3)

5.0 ≦C/B≦ 20.0,  (4)

wherein A represents a volume average particle size of the first toner, B represents a volume average particle size of the second toner, and C represents a volume average particle size of the carrier.

2. The electrostatic charge image developer according to claim 1 , which satisfies the following formulae,

10 μm≦ A≦ 20 μm  (5)

5 μm≦ B≦ 10 μm  (6)

3.5 ≦C/A≦ 4.5  (7)

7.0 ≦C/B≦ 12.0.  (8)

3. The electrostatic charge image developer according to claim 1 ,

wherein in particles of the first toner, an average equivalent circle diameter D is longer than an average maximum thickness E.

4. The electrostatic charge image developer according to claim 3 ,

wherein in the particles of the first toner, a ratio (E/D) between the average maximum thickness E and the average equivalent circle diameter D ranges from 0.001 to 0.500.

5. The electrostatic charge image developer according to claim 3 ,

wherein in the particles of the first toner, a ratio (E/D) between the average maximum thickness E and the average equivalent circle diameter D ranges from 0.010 to 0.200.

6. The electrostatic charge image developer according to claim 1 ,

wherein in particles of the first toner, when a cross-section in the thickness direction of the toner is observed, the number of pigment particles in which an angle between a major axis direction in the cross-section of the toner and a major axis direction of the pigment particles ranges from −30° to +30° is equal to or more than 60% of the entire pigment particles observed.

7. The electrostatic charge image developer according to claim 1 ,

wherein in the particles of the first toner, when a cross-section in the thickness direction of the toner is observed, the number of pigment particles in which an angle between a major axis direction in the cross-section of the toner and a major axis direction of the pigment particles ranges from −30° to +30° is equal to or more than 70% and equal to or less than 95% of the entire pigment particles observed.

8. The electrostatic charge image developer according to claim 1 ,

wherein particles of the first toner satisfy the following formula,

2 ≦F/G≦ 100

wherein F represents a reflectance at a light-receiving angle of +30° that is measured when a solid image is formed using the toner for developing an electrostatic charge image, and incident light having an angle of incidence of −45° C. is emitted to the image from a goniophotometer, and G represents a reflectance at a light-receiving angle of −30° that is measured when incident light having an angle of incidence of −45° C. is emitted to the image from the goniophotometer.

9. The electrostatic charge image developer according to claim 8 ,

wherein the particles of the first toner satisfy the following formula,

20 ≦F/G≦ 90.

10. The electrostatic charge image developer according to claim 1 ,

wherein the proportion of particles of the second toner in the entire toner is from 5% to 80% in terms of the number of toner particles.

11. The electrostatic charge image developer according to claim 1 ,

wherein the first toner has flake-shaped particles that have an average equivalent circle diameter D that is longer than an average maximum thickness E.

12. The electrostatic charge image developer according to claim 1 ,

wherein the second toner is colorless.

13. A process cartridge for an image forming apparatus, comprising:

an image holding member; and

a developing unit housing the electrostatic charge image developer according to claim 1 that forms a toner image by developing an electrostatic latent image formed on a surface of the image holding member.

14. The process cartridge for an image forming apparatus according to claim 13 ,

wherein the developer satisfies the following formulae,

10 μm≦ A≦ 20 μm  (1)

5 μm≦ B≦ 10 μm  (2)

3.5 ≦C/A≦ 4.5  (3)

7.0≦ C/B≦ 12.0.  (4)

15. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image holding member;

a charging unit that charges a surface of the image holding member;

a latent image-forming unit that forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the image-holding member;

a developing unit housing the electrostatic charge image developer according to claim 1 that forms a toner image by developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the image holding member; and

a transfer unit that transfers the developed toner image to a transfer medium.

16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 15 ,

wherein the developer satisfies the following formulae,

10 μm≦ A≦ 20 μm  (1)

5 μm≦ B≦ 10 μm  (2)

3.5 ≦C/A≦ 4.5  (3)

7.0 ≦C/B≦ 12.0.  (4)

17. An image forming method, comprising:

charging a surface of the image holding member;

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

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

transferring the developed toner image to a transfer medium,

wherein the developer is the electrostatic charge image developer according to claim 1 .

18. The image forming method according to claim 17 ,

wherein the developer satisfies the following formulae,

10 μm≦ A≦ 20 μm  (1)

5 μm≦ B≦ 10 μm  (2)

3.5 ≦C/A≦ 4.5  (3)

7.0 ≦C/B≦ 12.0.  (4)