Patent ID: 8263305

Claim:
A method for producing a toner by aggregating and fusing base microparticles whose main component is a binder resin including anionic groups, the method comprising the steps of: (a) preparing a resin solution by dissolving the binder resin in an organic solvent, and preparing an emulsion by emulsifying the resin solution in a presence of an aqueous medium; (b) preparing a base microparticle suspension in which the base microparticles, having a volume average particle size in a range of about 50 nm to about 1000 nm, are dispersed in the aqueous medium by removing the organic solvent from the emulsion; (c) aggregating said base microparticles in said base microparticle suspension, by stirring the base microparticle suspension at a liquid temperature of 10° C. to 50° C. in a presence of a non-ionic surfactant such that a surface tension of an aqueous solution thereof is not lower than 45 mN/m at any concentration at or above a critical micelle concentration; (d) obtaining an aggregate of the base microparticles by adding an aggregation terminator to the base microparticle suspension so as to terminate the aggregation; (e) producing base particles by fusing said aggregate; and (f) producing a toner using said base particles.