Toner for forming an image, image forming method and heat-fixing method

摘要

A toner for forming an image has toner particles containing at least a colorant, a binder resin and a wax. The toner has (i) a circularity distribution in which the toner has an average circularity of 0.900 to less than 0.965, contains 20 to 60% by number of particles with a circularity of less than 0.95 and has a mode circularity of 0.90 or more; and (ii) a particle size distribution in which the toner has a circle-equivalent average diameter of 2.0 to 10.0 mu m and has at least one peak of frequency by number in the region of a circle-equivalent diameter of 0.6 to 3.0 mu m and at least one peak of frequency by number in the region of a circle-equivalent diameter of from more than 3.0 mu m to 10.0 mu m. The wax has an endothermic main peak as measured by DSC of 60 to 120 DEG C. The binder resin contains THF soluble matter and 0 to 5.0% by weight of THF insoluble matter. The THF soluble matter having a molecular-weight distribution as measured by GPC in which the THF soluble matter has a content (M1) of 5% or less of a component with a molecular weight of less than 50,000, a content (M2) of 20 to 45% of a component with a molecular weight of 50,000 to 500,000, and a content (M3) of 2 to 25% of a component with a molecular weight exceeding 500,000 and the following condition (1) is satisfied:M1>/=M2>M3(1)