Patent ID: 7361400

Claim:
A developer carrier that carries a developer for visualizing an electrostatic latent image retained on an electrostatic latent image-bearing member, wherein: the developer carrier comprises at least a substrate and a resin coating layer formed on a surface of the substrate; the resin coating layer comprises at least graphitized particles (i) with a degree of graphitization p(002) of 0.20 to 0.75 and an indentation hardness HUT 68 of 15 to 60 or graphitized particles (ii) with a degree of graphitization p(002) of 0.20 to 0.75 and an average circularity SF-1, which is an average value of circularity obtained by the following expression (1), of 0.64 or more Circularity=(4 × A )/{( ML ) 2 ×π} (1) wherein in the expression, ML represents the maximum length of Pythagorean theorem of a particle projected image, and A represents an area of the particle projected image, and A represents an area of the particle projected image, wherein a number average particle diameter of each of the graphitized particles (i) and (ii) is from 0.5 to 25 μm and wherein the graphitized particles (i) or (ii) are prepared by heat-treatment of meso-carbon microbeads or bulk mesophase pitch in an inert atmosphere from 2300° C. to 3200° C.