BRILLIANT DEVELOPER, DEVELOPER CONTAINER, IMAGE FORMING UNIT, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

1 . A brilliant developer comprising:

toner base particles containing a brilliant pigment and a binder resin,

wherein some of the toner base particles each have a recess having an opening width of 11.2±2.7 μm.

2 . The brilliant developer of claim 1 , wherein the recess has a depth of 2.9±1.3 μm.

3 . The brilliant developer of claim 2 , wherein the recess satisfies a relationship that the opening width is greater than the depth.

4 . The brilliant developer of claim 1 , wherein the recess is measured by observation of a cross-section of the toner base particle with a transmission electron microscope.

5 . The brilliant developer of claim 1 , wherein the toner base particles have a specific surface area of not less than 1.5068 m 2 /g and not more than 2.2497 m 2 /g.

6 . The brilliant developer of claim 5 , wherein the toner base particles have a specific surface area of not less than 1.9342 m 2 /g and not more than 2.2497 m 2 /g.

7 . The brilliant developer of claim 1 , wherein a ratio A/B of a thickness A to an equivalent circle diameter B of the brilliant developer is not less than 0.74 and not more than 1.02.

8 . The brilliant developer of claim 7 , wherein the ratio A/B of the thickness A to the equivalent circle diameter B of the brilliant developer is not less than 0.74 and not more than 0.91.

9 . The brilliant developer of claim 1 , wherein the toner base particles have a volume average particle size of not less than 14.87 μm and not more than 16.15 μm.

10 . The brilliant developer of claim 1 , wherein the brilliant developer further comprises silica, and a content of the silica determined by EDX measurement is 2.200 to 2.300 wt %.

11 . The brilliant developer of claim 1 , wherein the toner base particles contain toner base particles each having a recess, and a percentage of a number of the toner base particles each having a recess to a total number of the toner base particles is not less than 96%.

12 . The brilliant developer of claim 11 , wherein the toner base particles each having a recess contain toner base particles each having a recess having an opening width of 11.2±2.7 μm, and a percentage of a number of the toner base particles each having a recess having an opening width of 11.2±2.7 μm to the number of the toner base particles each having a recess is not less than 58%.

13 . A developer container comprising a storage portion that contains the brilliant developer of claim 1 .

14 . An image forming unit comprising:

an image carrier that carries an electrostatic latent image;

a developer carrier that forms a developer image based on the electrostatic latent image on the image carrier;

a layer regulating member that abuts the developer carrier; and

the brilliant developer of claim 1 .

15 . An image forming apparatus comprising:

the image forming unit of claim 14 ; and

a fixing unit that fixes the developer image formed by the image forming unit to a medium.