Patent ID: 8652738

Claim:
A contact developing method, comprising: supplying a two-component developer to an electrostatic latent image on a rotating image bearing member by rotating a developing sleeve and a rotatable magnet having multiple magnetic poles provided inside the developing sleeve, to develop the electrostatic latent image into a toner image, the developing sleeve and the image bearing member rotating in a same direction while facing each other, the two-component developer comprising a non-magnetic toner and a carrier, the carrier comprising a magnetic core particle and a resin layer covering the magnetic core particle, the resin layer comprising a conductive particle and a resin, the conductive particle comprising an alumina-based material and a conductive layer covering the alumina-based material, and the resin being obtained by heating a copolymer comprising a monomer A unit having the following formula (1) and a monomer B unit having the following formula (2): wherein R 1 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, m represents an integer of 1 to 8, R 2 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, R 3 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms or an alkoxy group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and each of X and Y represents a molar ratio (%) between 10 to 90.