IMAGE-FIXING METHOD AND IMAGE-FIXING DEVICE, AND IMAGE-FORMING METHOD AND IMAGE-FORMING APPARATUS

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image-fixing method and others for preventing a recording medium from wrapping around a fixing member, preventing an occurrence of off-set and for obtaining an image of high picture quality and excellent gloss. SOLUTION: The image fixing method and others are characterized in that: a toner image is fixed onto a recording medium by passing the image through a nip formed by at least two fixing members in contact with each other; at least a partial region of the image is formed with the maximum toner deposition amount of 0.4 to 1.5 mg/cm2; the toner comprises wax and a polyester resin with 1 to 20 mass% wax content; the amount of the wax present in a region from the toner surface to 0.3μm depth results in a peak intensity ratio of 0.05 to 0.40 of the peak derived from the wax to the peak derived from the polyester resin; the ratio of the surface wax amount to the entire wax amount is 0.1 to less than 1.0 by mass-converting the intensity ratio; part of the wax is encapsulated and present as a plurality of independent dispersion particles; the surface hardness of the fixing member contacting with an image-bearing surface of the medium is lower than that of the fixing member contacting with a non-image-bearing surface; and the recording medium is ejected along with the fixing member contacting with the non-image-bearing surface. COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI