Patent ID: 7935469

Claim:
An image forming method comprising: charging; exposing; developing; transferring; and fixing, wherein a developer used in the developing is a two-component developer that comprises a toner and a carrier, the toner containing as a binder resin a polyol resin having a plurality of OH groups in a molecule chain having an EX/OH ratio between epoxy groups (EX) and OH groups (OH) of 0.990 to 1.010, the developing step comprises stirring and conveying for conveying at least the developer while stirring and charging the developer, in the stirring and conveying step a rotational speed a (revolutions per minute), a pitch β (mm) and a conveyance path length γ (mm) of an stirring and conveying unit, excluding a developing unit, satisfies the relationship 1.0×10 6 ≦α×β×γ≦16.0×10 6 , the toner is composed of toner base particles and an external additive, the toner base particles having an electrostatic property by stirring with the carrier is such that a ratio between charge amount after continuous stirring for 3 minutes, Q B /M 180 (−μC/g), and charge amount after continuous stirring for 60 minutes, Q B /M 3600 (−μC/g) satisfy the following Formula (I): 1.5 <[Q B /M 3600 ]/[Q B /M 180 ]<2.5 Formula I the toner having an electrostatic property by stirring with the carrier is such that a ratio between charge amount after continuous stirring for 3 minutes, Q T /M 180 (−μC/g), and charge amount after continuous stirring for 60 minutes, Q T /M 3600 (−μC/g) satisfy the following Formula (II): 0.7 <[Q T /M 3600 ]/[Q T /M 180 ]<1.3 Formula II and the external additive comprises two types of fine inorganic particles having different resistance values, wherein a particle size distribution Y and added amount X, in terms of parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the toner base particles, of the fine inorganic particles having a smaller resistance value than the other fine inorganic particles satisfy the following Formula (III): 0.1≦x≦2.0 Y≦ 2.6×10 −3 X+ 0.0048 (Formula III).