Patent ID: 7596345

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: a developing apparatus for developing an electrostatic image with a developer comprising at least a toner and a first external additive, said developing apparatus including a plurality of developing devices, wherein the plurality of developing devices includes at least a developing device containing a dark color toner and a developing device containing a light color toner which has an identical hue to that of the dark color toner and has a higher lightness than that of the dark color toner, and wherein the developing device containing the light color toner is subjected to a developing operation prior to another developing device; a first transfer apparatus for sequentially transferring toner images, which have been developed by the plurality of developing devices, onto an intermediary transfer member; and a second transfer apparatus for transferring the toner images from the intermediary transfer member all together onto a transfer medium; wherein the first external additive comprises particles having an aspect ratio of not less than 1.0 and not more than 1.5 and a number average particle size of not less than 0.06 μm and not more than 0.3 μm, and has a toner coverage thereof with respect to the light color toner larger than that with respect to the dark color toner in a transferred state on the intermediary transfer member.