Patent ID: 7378213

Claim:
An image forming process, comprising: fixing a toner image on a recording medium, wherein said fixing comprises: heating one or more heat-transfer media using a heating element, and pressing the recording medium bearing the toner image to one of the one or more heat-transfer media using a pressurizing member, wherein at least one of the one or more heat-transfer media is a belt heat-transfer medium and the surface thereof is applied with no oil, and wherein the toner image is formed with a toner which comprises a binder resin and a releasing agent, has Dv of from 3.0 μm to 7.0 μm, a particle diameter distribution Dv/Dn of from 1.00 to 1.25, in which Dv is a weight-average particle diameter and Dn is a number-average particle diameter, and an average shape factor SF-1 of from 100 to 150, and contains toner particles having a shape factor SF-1 of 160 or more in an amount of 10% by number or less; wherein the toner particles have a storage modulus G′ and a loss modulus G″, wherein the storage modulus G′ is in the range from 5.5×10 5 Pa to 5.5×10 7 Pa at 80° C. and is in the range from 5.0×10 2 Pa to 1.0×10 4 Pa at 180° C., and a maximum of a loss tangent (tan δ=G″/G′) is in the range from 1.5 to 8.0 at temperature from 80° C. to 130° C.; wherein the releasing agent has a melting point of from 60° C. to 120° C. and is contained in the toner in an amount of from 1% by weight to 20% by weight.