Patent ID: 7682765

Claim:
A toner for developing an electrostatic image comprising: a colorant; a binder resin; and a charge control resin; said charge control resin having hardness which is the same as the hardness of said binder resin or said charge control resin being harder than said binder resin, as measured by a force modulation mode as a viscoelasticity evaluating mode of a scanning probe microscope in respect to the binder resin and the charge control resin which are present in the particle interiors or particle surfaces of the toner, wherein in the force of modulation mode of the viscoelasticity evaluating mode of the scanning probe microscope (a) an amplitude of probe vibration of the charge control resin region is greater than amplitude of probe vibration of the binder resin region: and (b) a difference between the value of the amplitude of probe vibration in the charge control resin region and of the amplitude of probe vibration in the binder resin region is 50 m V or more; and in a tapping mode of the viscosity evaluating mode of the scanning probe microscope where probe vibration produces a delay of phases between applied signals and response signals, a difference in phases in the charge control resin region is smaller than a difference in phases in the binder resin region, said charge control resin is a positive charge control resin or a negative charge control resin, wherein said negative charge control resin is a polyhydroxyalkanoate polymer having monomer units having a carboxyl group or a sulfo group as a functional group.