Patent ID: 7725057

Claim:
An image forming method containing a development step of developing an electrostatic latent image formed on an electrostatic image supporting material, using a toner formed on a development sleeve in the form of a thin layer to form a toner image, wherein a ten-point average roughness Rz on the surface of the development sleeve is from 3.0 to 5.7 pm, a volume average particle size of toner particles is from 6.0 to 8.0 pm, the content of the toner particles having a volume average particle size of 5.0 pm or less is from 2.2 to 11.0% by volume, a shape coefficient SF-1 of the toner particles that is measured by an image-analyzing apparatus and represented by a following formula (1) satisfies the relation: 115≦SF-1≦155, and a shape coefficient SF-2 of the toner particles that is measured by an image-analyzing apparatus and represented by a following formula (2) satisfies the relation: 112≦SF-2≦150: SF -1={( MXLNG ) 2 /AREA}(π/4)100 (1) SF -2={(PERI) 2 /AREA}(1/4π)100 (2) where MXLNG denotes an absolute maximum length of the particle, PERI denotes a peripheral length of the particle, and AREA denotes a projected area of the particle.