Patent ID: 7001703

Claim:
A toner comprising: toner particles, each of the toner particles comprising at least a binder resin comprising a polyester resin as a main component, a wax, and a colorant, wherein in case of measuring a wettability of the toner with respect to a mixed solvent of methanol and water in terms of an optical transmittance at an optical wavelength of 780 nm, a methanol concentration of the mixed solvent is in a range of 45 to 65% volume when the optical transmittance is 80%, and a methanol concentration of the mixed solvent is in a range of 45 to 65% by volume when the optical transmittance is 10%; a melt index (MI) of the toner measured at a temperature of 125° C. and a load of 5 kg is in a range of 0.1 to 10 g/10 min; the toner comprises a resin component insoluble to tetrahydrofuran (THF insoluble component) in an amount of 5 to 40% by mass based on a mass of the binder resin; the toner comprises a tetrahydrofuran soluble component, and in case of measuring the tetrahydrofuran soluble component by gel permeation chromatography, a main peak is in a molecular weight region of 3,000 to 20,000, and a proportion of a component having a molecular weight of 10,000 or less in the tetrahydrofuran soluble component is 50% by mass or more in a chromatogram of the gel permeation chromatography; and the polyester resin comprises (i) a low molecular weight polyester component having a main peak of molecular weight of the tetrahydrofuran soluble component in the range of 3,000 to 20,000 and having 0 to 3% by mass of tetrahydrofuran insoluble component, and (ii) a cross-linked polyester component having 10 to 60% by mass of the tetrahydrofuran insoluble component; and the mass ratio of the cross-linked polyester component and the low molecular weight polyester component is in a range of 10:90 to 90:10; and wherein the cross-linked polyester component comprises a polycarboxylic acid with 3 or more carboxyl groups and a polyhydric alcohol with 3 or more hydroxyl groups as monomer components of the cross-linked polyester component.