Patent ID: 7361442

Claim:
A developing method in which a developer held in a developer container is carried on a developer carrying member, and, while a thin layer of the developer is formed on the developer carrying member by the aid of a developer layer thickness control member, the developer is transported to a developing zone facing a latent image bearing member, where a latent image on the latent image bearing member is developed with the developer to render the latent image visible; said developer comprising magnetic toner particles containing at least a binder resin and a magnetic powder; said magnetic powder having a saturation magnetization of 67.0 Am 2 /kg or more and 75.0 Am 2 /kg or less in a magnetic field of 79.6 kA/m (1,000 oersteds) and having a residual magnetization of 4.5 Am 2 /kg or less; and said developer carrying member having at least a substrate and a conductive resin coat layer on the surface of the substrate; said conductive resin coat layer satisfying, in its surface profile measured using a focus optics laser, 1.00≦S/A≦1.65 where an area of microscopic unevenness regions from which parts exceeding a reference plane by 0.5×r (r: weight average particle diameter (μm) of a toner used) or more have been excluded is represented by A (m 2 )and a surface area of microscopic unevenness regions is represented by S (m 2 ).