Patent ID: 7264911

Claim:
An image-forming apparatus equipped with a toner container containing a set of toner particles and an endless belt circulating in a certain direction via nip portions in contact with image carriers carrying electrostatic latent images, that forms a toner image on a recording medium by obtaining a toner image by developing an electrostatic latent image on an image carrier carrying an electrostatic latent image by supplying the toner particles contained in the toner container thereto, transferring the toner image onto the surface of the belt at the nip portion, and transferring the toner image transferred onto the surface of the belt finally onto the recording medium and fixes the toner image thereon, wherein when the particle count distribution in diameter ranges of the toner particles contained in the toner container is expressed by Formula 1: Smaller-side grain size distribution index GSDpS =( D 5 Op/D 16 p ) 1/2 Formula 1 (wherein, D50p is the particle diameter at a cumulative count rate of 50% when toner particles are counted from the smallest toner particle cumulatively, and D16p is the particle diameter at a cumulative count rate of 16%.), the toner container contains a set of toner particles having a smaller-side grain size distribution index GSDpS of 1.24 or less; and the belt comprises a base support having a Young's modulus of 3,500 MPa or more and 9,000 MPa or less and a surface microhardness of 10 mN/μm 2 or less.