Patent ID: 10831139

Abstract:
An image forming apparatus includes an image holding member; a charging unit; an electrostatic image forming unit; a developing unit that includes an electrostatic image developer that includes a toner; a transfer unit; and a fixing unit that fixes the toner image transferred on the surface of the recording medium to the recording medium. The fixing unit includes a fixing belt arranged to contact with the toner image transferred on the surface of the recording medium, a rotatable body arranged to be in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the fixing belt so as to form a contact region between the rotatable body and the fixing belt, the rotatable body transporting the recording medium in the contact region by rotating together with the fixing belt, and a heat source that heats the contact region formed between the fixing belt and the rotatable body. The toner includes toner particles, and silica particles having a number average particle size of 110 nm to 130 nm, a large-diameter-side number particle size distribution index (upper GSDp) of less than 1.080, and an average circularity of 0.94 to 0.98, wherein 80 number % or more of the silica particles have a circularity of 0.92 or more.