Patent ID: 8084179

Claim:
A toner, comprising: a colorant, a releasing agent, and a binder resin, wherein a number average particle diameter (D 1 ) of the toner is in a range 3.5 μm to 6.5 μm as determined by the Coulter method, wherein a variation coefficient of a number distribution of the toner is in the range of 22.0 to 35.0, the variation coefficient being found by dividing a standard deviation of the number distribution by the number average particle diameter (D 1 ), wherein 40% by number to 59% by number of the toner are 4.0 μm to 8.0 μm in diameter, wherein a ratio of D 4 to D 1 is in a range of 1.04 to 1.34, where D 4 is a weight average particle diameter, and wherein a loose apparent density of the toner is in a range of 0.29 g/cm 3 to 0.39 g/cm 3 .