Patent ID: 7361443

Claim:
An image forming method comprising the steps of forming a toner image on an image forming member having a photosensitive material on a support, including steps of forming a latent image on the image forming member and developing the latent image by a developer comprising a toner and a carrier, conveying the image forming member carrying the toner image thereon into a predetermined transfer zone, overlapping an image supporting material so that the toner image is between the image forming member and the image supporting material, applying an electric field between the image forming member and the image supporting material, irradiating ultrasonic wave, on the occasion of the application of the electric field, to the image forming member and the image supporting material from an ultrasonic wave generating device arranged at a facing position so as not to contact to transfer the toner image onto the image supporting material, and fixing the toner image on the image supporting material, wherein a volume average particle diameter of the toner in the developer is from 3 to 8 μm, and a content of the toner particle having a diameter of not more than 2 μm is not more than 2% by number.