Patent ID: 7049037

Claim:
A method of developing an electrostatic latent image using an image forming apparatus, the method comprising: forming at least one electrostatic latent image on at least one latent-image bearer, developing the electrostatic latent image with at least one color developer comprising a color toner in said image forming apparatus, to form at least one color toner image on said at least one latent-image bearer; and transferring the color toner image onto a transfer sheet, optionally via an intermediate transfer medium; said image forming apparatus comprising: said at least one latent-image bearer configured to bear at least one electrostatic latent image; an image developer configured to develop the electrostatic latent image with said at least one color developer comprising said color toner to form said at least one color toner image on said at least one latent-image bearer; a transferer configured to transfer the toner image onto said transfer sheet optionally via said intermediate transfer medium, wherein the color toner comprises toner particles comprising: a binder resin; and a colorant and a release agent dispersed in the binder resin, and 0.3 to 1.5 parts by weight of titania having a primary particle diameter of 0.005 to 0.02 μm as an external additive, wherein the colorant has an average dispersion particle diameter not greater than 0.5 μm; the release agent and the binder resin are insoluble to each other; the toner particles satisfy the following relationship: 0.05 ≦Dw/D 4 ≦0.4, wherein Dw represents an average dispersion particle diameter of the release agent and D 4 represents a weight-average particle diameter of the toner particles; and the titania has a segregation rate of from 0.5 to 5%.