TONER

Abstract

Toner containing a toner particle, wherein a weight-averaged particle size of the toner is a specific region, a domain-matrix structure in which a domain is dispersed in a matrix is ​​observed on a cross-section of the toner, the matrix contains a crystalline resin A, the domain contains an amorphous resin B, where the domain with a principal axis of 300 nm or more is defined as domain C and the domain with a principal axis of 200 nm or less is defined as domain D, a number-averaged principal axis of domain D is 30 to 150 nm and a proportion of the cross-section satisfying (i) and (ii) is 90% or more; (i) 5 to 20 domains C are present per cross-section and an area ratio of domain C is 10 to 30%, (ii) domain D is observed over an entire region in the cross-section.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONField of the InventionThe present disclosure relates to a toner for use in electrophotography and electrostatic recording.Description of Related ArtEnergy saving is also considered an important technical issue in electrophotographic devices, and research is being conducted for a marked reduction in the amount of heat applied in fixing devices. In particular, there is a growing demand for toners having the so-called low-temperature fixability" which enables fixation with less energy.Moreover, resistance to abrasion due to erasers has been demanded in recent years to prevent printed symbols from being erased and distorted with an eraser.As a method for enabling fixation at low temperatures, a toner to which a plasticizer has been added is studied in WO 2013 / 047296. The plasticizer has the effect of accelerating the softening rate of the binder resin while maintaining the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the toner, and can improve the low-temperature fixability. However, since the toner is softened by a step in which the plasticizer melts and then the binder resin is plasticized, there is a limit to the melting rate of the toner, and further improvement of the low-temperature fixability is desirable.Accordingly, a method of using a crystalline resin as a binder resin is being studied. Amorphous resins generally used as binder resins for toners do not show a clear endothermic peak in differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements, but when a crystalline resin component is contained, an endothermic peak (melting point) appears in DSC measurements.In crystalline resins, the molecular chains are regularly arranged, preventing softening at temperatures below the melting point. When the melting point is exceeded, the crystals suddenly melt, which is accompanied by a rapid drop in viscosity. For this reason, crystalline resins have attracted attention as materials excellent in the sharp melting property and the low-temperature fixability.There is a toner using a crystalline vinyl resin having a long-chain alkyl group on the side chain in the molecule as a crystalline resin. Normally, crystalline vinyl resins have a long-chain alkyl group as a side chain in the main chain skeleton, and the long-chain alkyl groups in the side chains crystallize with each other to form a crystalline resin. Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-142632 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-144501 propose a toner having a domain-matrix structure including a matrix with a crystalline vinyl resin and a domain with an amorphous resin.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONMeanwhile, the inventors have recognized that toners containing a crystalline resin generally have a problem with low eraser resistance. Since crystalline resins have a lower polarity than the binder resins for toners usually used, the crystalline resins have a low affinity for paper containing cellulose as a main component. Therefore, in a test for measuring abrasion resistance under a certain pressure such as applied when rubbing with an eraser, it is considered that the toner is likely to be peeled off. The toners described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-142632 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-144501 have excellent low-temperature fixability, but there is still room for improvements in eraser resistance during low-temperature fixing.Moreover, the domains containing an amorphous resin have a relatively slower melting rate during low temperature fixation than the matrix containing a crystalline resin. The toners described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-142632 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-144501 have a large domain size, fine irregularities are generated on the surface of the fixed image during the low temperature fixing, and the gloss is likely to decrease. Therefore, further improvements are required to realize a toner which is excellent in low-temperature fixability and high in gloss over a wide temperature range and also excellent in eraser resistance during low-temperature fixing.The present disclosure relates to a toner which has excellent low-temperature fixability and high gloss over a wide temperature range and, moreover, has excellent eraser resistance during low-temperature fixing.According to at least one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a toner having a toner particle comprising a crystalline resin A and an amorphous resin B, wherein a weight-average particle size of the toner is 4.0 to 10.0 μm; when a cross section of the toner is viewed with a scanning transmission electron microscope,a domain-matrix structure in which a domain is dispersed in a matrix is observed in cross section,the matrix comprises the crystalline resin A,the domain comprising amorphous resin B,(a) when the domain having a major axis of 300 nm or more is defined as domain C and the domain having a major axis of 200 nm or less is defined as domain D, a number-average major axis of domain D is 30 to 150 nm, and (b) a proportion of the cross section satisfying the following two items i) and ii) is at least 90% by number, (i) 5 to 20 domains C are present per cross section of a toner particle, and an area ratio of domain C is 10 to 30% of the area based on an area of the cross section, (ii) domain D is observed over an entire area of an area other than domain C in the cross section.According to at least one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a toner that has excellent low-temperature fixability and high gloss over a wide temperature range, and also has excellent eraser resistance during low-temperature fixing.Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments.DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTSIn the present disclosure, the descriptions include "XX or more and YY or less" or "XX to YY" representing numerical ranges, numerical ranges including the lower and upper limits that are end points, unless otherwise specified. When numerical ranges are given stepwise, the upper and lower limits of each numerical range may be arbitrarily combined.In the context of the present disclosure, (meth)acrylic ester means an acrylic ester and / or a methacrylic ester.Moreover, in the present disclosure, a formulation such as "at least one selected from the group consisting of XX, YY, and ZZ" means any one of: XX; YY; ZZ; a combination of XX and YY; a combination of XX and ZZ; a combination of YY and ZZ; or a combination of XX and YY and ZZ.The term "monomer unit" refers to a reacted form of a monomeric material in a polymer. For example, a carbon-carbon bonded portion in a main chain of polymerized vinyl monomers in a polymer is referred to as a unit. A vinyl monomer can be represented by the following formula (6): In the formula (6), R A represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group (preferably a C 1-3 alkyl group or more preferably a methyl group), and R B represents any substituent.A crystalline resin is a resin which has a marked endothermic peak in differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).The present inventors have found that the above problems can be solved by appropriately controlling the size, number and area of the large and small domains in a toner having a domain-matrix structure including a matrix containing a crystalline resin and domains containing an amorphous resin when the cross section of the toner is viewed.The present disclosure relates to a toner having a toner particle comprising a crystalline resin A and an amorphous resin B, wherein a weight average particle size of the toner is 4.0 to 10.0 μm; when a cross section of the toner is viewed with a scanning transmission electron microscope,a domain-matrix structure in which a domain is dispersed in a matrix is observed in cross section,the matrix comprises the crystalline resin A,the domain comprising amorphous resin B,(a) when the domain having a major axis of 300 nm or more is defined as domain C and the domain having a major axis of 200 nm or less is defined as domain D, a number-average major axis of domain D is 30 to 150 nm, and (b) a proportion of the cross section satisfying the following two items i) and ii) is at least 90% by number, (i) 5 to 20 domains C are present per cross section of a toner particle, and an area ratio of domain C is 10 to 30% of the area based on an area of the cross section, (ii) domain D is observed over an entire area of an area other than domain C in the cross section.By providing a domain-matrix structure formed of a matrix containing crystalline resin A and domains containing amorphous resin B in the cross-sectional view of the toner, excellent low-temperature fixability can be obtained. When there is no domain matrix structure and the crystalline resin A and the amorphous resin B are compatible with each other and form a uniform structure, the in-focus property of the crystalline resin is likely to decrease and the low-temperature fixability of the crystalline resin is likely to decrease.In general, crystalline resins have a high melt rate. Therefore, in the low temperature fixing, a melting speed difference occurs between the crystalline resin and the amorphous resin having a relatively slow melting speed. As a result, fixation ends before the amorphous resin is completely melted, which may result in small irregularities in the fixed image due to insufficient melting of the amorphous resin, and gloss may decrease. Therefore, in order to achieve high gloss in low-temperature fixing, the areas containing the amorphous resin B must be relatively small. Therefore, the number-average major axis of the domains D with respect to (a) is 150 nm or less.During fixing at higher temperatures, the amorphous resin having small domains may be sufficiently melted and may penetrate too much into the interstices of the paper together with the crystalline resin. As a result, the gloss may decrease due to the effect of unevenness of the paper. Therefore, in order to obtain high gloss when fixed at higher temperatures, the domains containing the amorphous resin B must be relatively large. Therefore, the number-average major axis of the domains D with respect to (a) is 30 nm or more.As mentioned above, crystalline resins having a low affinity for paper have a problem of poor eraser resistance. Therefore, it is important to control the domains containing amorphous resin. When the size of the domains made of amorphous resin is small, the amorphous resin may enter the gaps between the paper fibers during the low-temperature fixing and adhere to the paper. On the other hand, when the size of the domains made of amorphous resin is large, the amorphous resin may increase the surface area and adhere to the paper fibers. Therefore, the eraser resistance can be improved when the relatively small and relatively large domains are present in a certain ratio and when the domains are widely dispersed in the toner. Accordingly, (a) and (b) are satisfied.The toner will be described in detail below. When a cross section of the toner is observed under a scanning transmission electron microscope, a domain-matrix structure in which domains are dispersed in a matrix is seen in the cross section. The matrix includes the crystalline resin A, and the domains include the amorphous resin B. When the domain having a major axis of 300 nm or more is referred to as domain C and the domain having a major axis of 200 nm or less is referred to as domain D, the number-average major axis of the domains D is from 30 nm to 150 nm.Since the matrix contains the crystalline resin A, excellent low-temperature fixability is obtained. Since the number average major axis of the domains D is from 30 nm to 150 nm, a toner having excellent high gloss properties over a wide temperature range is obtained. When the number-average major axis of the domains D is smaller than 30 nm, the domains D may excessively penetrate into the gaps in the paper during fixing at a higher temperature, and the glossiness may decrease due to the effect of unevenness of the paper. On the other hand, when the number-average major axis of the domains D is larger than 150 nm, the domains D do not melt sufficiently during the low-temperature fixing, resulting in unevenness of the toner on the paper surface and hence in lower gloss. The number average major axis of the domains D is preferably from 40 nm to 120 nm, more preferably from 50 nm to 100 nm.The number-average major axis of the domains D can be controlled by the proportion of the crystalline components in the crystalline resin A, the proportion of the components in the amorphous resin B having high affinity to the crystalline resin A, and the ratio of the crystalline resin A and the amorphous resin B. Specifically, the number-average major axis of the domains D can be increased by increasing the proportion of the crystalline components in the crystalline resin A, decreasing the proportion of the components in the amorphous resin B having high affinity to the crystalline resin A, and decreasing the ratio of the crystalline resin A. Further, the number-average major axis of the domains D can be reduced by reducing the proportion of the crystalline components in the crystalline resin A, increasing the proportion of the components in the amorphous resin B having high affinity to the crystalline resin A, and increasing the ratio of the crystalline resin A.In the present disclosure, (b) the proportion of the cross sections satisfying the following two items (i) and (ii) is 90% by number or more, (i) 5 to 20 domains C are present per cross section of a toner particle, and an area ratio of the domain C is 10 to 30% of the area with respect to an area of the cross section; and (ii) the domain D is observed over an entire range of a range other than the domain C in the cross section.When the proportion of the cross sections in which the domains C and D satisfy both (i) and (ii) is 90% or more, the toner has excellent eraser resistance in low-temperature fixing. When the number and area ratio of the domains C are small, the number of domains that can adhere to the paper fibers on a large area decreases, and the eraser resistance decreases. On the other hand, when the number and the area ratio of the domains C are large, unevenness of the toner on the paper surface occurs during low-temperature fixing, and gloss decreases.When the domains D are not present over the entire area in an area other than the domains C, i.e., when the domains D are present unevenly, there are portions where the domains D do not enter the gaps in the paper and cannot adhere, resulting in reduced eraser resistance. Thus, if the proportion of the cross sections of the toner satisfying both (i) and (ii) is less than 90%, the eraser resistance is lowered. The proportion of the cross sections satisfying both (i) and (ii) is preferably from 95% to 100%, and more preferably from 97% to 100%.Further, it is preferable that among the cross sections of the toner, the proportion of the cross sections in which the area ratio of the domains C with respect to the area of the cross section is between 15% and 25% is 90% by number or more. More preferably from 90% by number to 100% by number, and even more preferably from 92% by number to 100% by number. Within these ranges, the eraser resistance is more likely to be improved.Further, among the domains C, domains having a major axis of 400 nm or more are referred to as domains E. Preferably, the proportion of the toner cross sections in which 4 to 20 domains E are present per cross section of a toner particle is 90% by number or more. Within this range, the eraser resistance is further improved. The proportion of such cross sections is preferably from 92% to 100%, more preferably from 94% to 100%.The proportion of such cross sections can be easily adjusted within the above range by controlling the proportion of crystalline components in the crystalline resin A, the proportion of components in the amorphous resin B having high affinity to the crystalline resin A, and also the ratio of the crystalline resin A and the amorphous resin B. In particular, the proportion of such cross sections can be easily adjusted within the above range by increasing the proportion of crystalline components in the crystalline resin A, decreasing the proportion of components in the amorphous resin B having high affinity to the crystalline resin A, and decreasing the ratio of crystalline resin A.Furthermore, it is preferable that the number of domains D present in each 1 μm square region except for the domains C is 100 or more. This state means that the domains D are uniformly present in the toner particle to some extent, facilitating the improvement of the eraser resistance.In order to satisfy the above item (i) and "the proportion of the cross sections in which the area ratio of the domains C is between 15% and 25% of the area with respect to the area of the cross section", there is a means for controlling the number and the area of the domains C. The number and the area of the domains C can be controlled by the easy compatibility of the amorphous resin B with the crystalline resin A. When the amorphous resin B is easily made compatible with the crystalline resin A, the number of domains C tends to be small, and its area also tends to be small. To achieve this, for example, a method using a material having a common structural unit that reduces the difference in SP value between crystalline resin A and amorphous resin B may be adopted.If the amorphous resin B is less compatible with the crystalline resin A, the number of domains C can be increased and also the area thereof can be increased. To achieve this, there is a method of increasing the difference in SP value between the crystalline resin A and the amorphous resin B, for example, and minimizing the use of materials having common structural units.The toner particle contains crystalline resin A and amorphous resin B. The toner particle contains crystalline resin A and amorphous resin B, for example, as a binder resin. The crystalline resin A will be described below. Examples of crystalline resin A include vinyl resins, polyester resins, polyurethane resins and epoxy resins which are crystalline, with vinyl resins having crystallinity being preferred.When the crystalline resin A is a vinyl resin having crystallinity, it is preferable that the crystalline resin A has a monomer unit represented by the following formula (1) (hereinafter also referred to as monomer unit (a)). In the formula (1), R 4 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, and n is an integer of 15 to 35.Formula (1) indicates that the vinyl resin has a long-chain alkyl group, and when n in Formula (1) is from 15 to 35, the vinyl resin more likely indicates crystallinity. n is preferably from 17 to 29.As the method for introducing the monomer unit (a), a method for polymerizing the following (meth)acrylic esters is used. For example, there can be mentioned (meth)acrylic esters having a linear alkyl group having 16 to 36 carbon atoms [stearyl (meth)acrylate, nonadecyl (meth)acrylate, eicosyl (meth)acrylate, Heneicosanyl(meth)acrylat behenyl (meth)acrylate, Lignoceryl(meth)acrylat ceryl (meth)acrylate, octacosyl (meth)acrylate, myristyl (meth)acrylate, Dotriacontyl(meth)acrylat etc.] and (meth)acrylic esters having a branched alkyl group having 18 to 36 carbon atoms [2-decyltetradecyl (meth)acrylate etc.].The monomer unit represented by formula (1) may be used alone, or two or more kinds thereof may be used in combination.When the crystalline resin A is a vinyl resin having crystallinity, other monomer units besides the monomer unit (a) may be used. One method of incorporating the other monomer units is to polymerize the (meth)acrylic ester with other vinyl monomers. The other monomer units may be used alone or in combination of two or more.Examples of other vinyl monomers include the following styrene, α-methylstyrene, (meth)acrylic esters such as methyl (meth)acrylate, ethyl (meth)acrylate, n-butyl (meth)acrylate, t-butyl (meth)acrylate and 2-ethylhexyl (meth)acrylate.Monomers having a urea group: for example, monomers obtained by reacting an amine having 3 to 22 carbon atoms [primary amines (such as normal butylamine, t-butylamine, propylamine and isopropylamine), secondary amines (such as di-normal ethylamine, di-normal propylamine and di-normal butylamine), aniline and cyclohexylamine] with an isocyanate having 2 to 30 carbon atoms and an ethylenically unsaturated bond according to a known method.Monomers having a carboxy group: for example, methacrylic acid, acrylic acid and 2-carboxyethyl (meth)acrylate.Monomers having a hydroxy group: for example, 2-hydroxyethyl (meth)acrylate and 2-hydroxypropyl (meth)acrylate.Monomers having an amide group: for example, acrylamide and monomers obtained by reacting an amine having 1 to 30 carbon atoms with a carboxylic acid having 2 to 30 carbon atoms and an ethylenically unsaturated bond (such as acrylic acid and methacrylic acid) according to a known method.Monomers having a lactam structure, for example N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone.Among them, it is preferable that the crystalline resin A contains a monomer unit having a lactam structure, and it is more preferable that the crystalline resin A contains a monomer unit having a five-membered ring lactam structure. Preferably, N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone is used as a monomer having a five-membered ring lactam structure. When the crystalline resin A has a lactam structure, the affinity between the crystalline resin A and the paper is improved, and it is easier to further improve the eraser resistance.The monomer unit having a lactam structure may be a monomer unit represented by the following formula (L) (preferably, formula (L-1)). The crystalline resin A preferably contains from 1.0% by mass to 15.0% by mass, and more preferably from 4.0% by mass to 12.0% by mass of the monomer unit represented by the formula (L) (preferably formula (L-1)). In the formulas (L) and (L-1), R 2 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group. n is an integer of from 1 to 4 (preferably from 1 to 3).When the crystalline resin A is a vinyl resin having crystallinity, the ratio of the content of the monomer unit (a) in the vinyl resin having crystallinity is preferably from 45.0% by mass to 90.0% by mass, more preferably from 50.0% by mass to 80.0% by mass, and even more preferably from 60.0% by mass to 70.0% by mass.When the content ratio of the monomer unit (a) is within the above ranges, the size and number of domains C and D can be more easily controlled.The crystalline resin A may also contain a styrene-based monomer unit. The crystalline resin A preferably contains from 3.0 mass % to 25.0 mass %, and more preferably from 10.0 mass % to 20.0 mass % of the styrene-based monomer unit.The crystalline resin A may also contain a monomer unit based on at least one selected from the group consisting of acrylonitrile and methacrylonitrile. The crystalline resin A preferably contains from 5.0% by mass to 25.0% by mass, and more preferably from 8.0% by mass to 17.0% by mass of the monomer unit based on at least one selected from the group consisting of acrylonitrile and methacrylonitrile.The crystalline resin A may also be a polyester resin. The polyester resin may be a condensation polymer of a dibasic or higher carboxylic acid and a polyhydric alcohol.Examples of the polyvalent carboxylic acid include the following compounds.Dibasic acids such as succinic acid, adipic acid, sebacic acid, phthalic acid, isophthalic acid, terephthalic acid, malonic acid and dodecenylsuccinic acid, and anhydrides and lower alkyl esters thereof, and aliphatic unsaturated dicarboxylic acids such as maleic acid, fumaric acid, itaconic acid and citraconic acid.In addition, 1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylic acid, 1,2,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid and anhydrides and lower alkyl esters thereof. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.Examples of the polyhydric alcohol include the following compounds.Alkylene glycols (ethylene glycol, 1,2-propylene glycol and 1,3-propylene glycol); alkylene ether glycols (polyethylene glycol and polypropylene glycol); alicyclic diols (1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol); bisphenols (bisphenol A); and alkylene oxide (ethylene oxide and propylene oxide) adducts of alicyclic diols. The alkyl portion of the alkylene glycol and the alkylene ether glycol may be linear or branched.In addition, glycerol, trimethylolethane, trimethylolpropane and pentaerythritol. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.In addition, it is also possible to use monohydric acids such as acetic acid and benzoic acid, and monohydric alcohols such as cyclohexanol and benzyl alcohol for adjusting the acid number and the hydroxyl number.The method for producing the polyester resin is not particularly limited, and for example, an ester interchange method and a direct polycondensation method may be used alone or in combination.The weight average molecular weight Mw of the crystalline resin A is preferably from 15000 to 5000, more preferably from 20000 to 40000. Further, the value Mw / Mn of the ratio of the weight average molecular weight Mw of the crystalline resin A to the number average molecular weight Mn is preferably from 2.0 to 6.5, more preferably from 2.5 to 5.5.The ratio of the content of crystalline resin A in the binder resin is preferably from 10.0 mass % to 70.0 mass %. Within the above range, it becomes easier to obtain a domain-matrix structure, and it becomes easier to control the size and number of domains C and D. The ratio of the content of crystalline resin A in the binder resin is more preferably from 15.0% by mass to 60.0% by mass, even more preferably from 20.0% by mass to 50.0% by mass, even more preferably from 30.0% by mass to 40.0% by mass, and particularly preferably from 33.0% by mass to 37.0% by mass.The amorphous resin B will be described below. Examples of the amorphous resin B include vinyl resins, polyester resins, polyurethane resins, and epoxy resins. The amorphous resin B is preferably a vinyl resin or a polyester resin, and more preferably a vinyl resin.When the amorphous resin B is a vinyl resin, it is preferable that the amorphous resin B has a monomer unit (d) represented by the following formula (2). In formula (2), R represents 5 a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, and m represents an integer of 3 to 35. When the amorphous resin B has the monomer unit (d), it becomes easier to control the compatibility between the amorphous resin B and the crystalline resin A, it becomes easier to form a domain-matrix structure, and it becomes easier to control the size and number of the domains C and D.The preferred range for m is from 3 to 29, more preferably from 3 to 19, even more preferably from 3 to 15, and even more preferably from 3 to 5.As a method for introducing the monomer unit (d), there is a method in which the following (meth)acrylic esters are polymerized in addition to the (meth)acrylic esters usable for the above-described monomer unit (a). Examples include n-butyl (meth)acrylate, hexyl (meth)acrylate, octyl (meth)acrylate, decyl (meth)acrylate, lauryl (meth)acrylate, myristyl (meth)acrylate and palmityl (meth)acrylate.The monomer unit (d) may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.When the amorphous resin B is a vinyl resin, it is possible to use other monomer units besides the monomer unit (d). As a method for introducing other monomer units, there is a method for polymerizing the (meth)acrylic ester and the vinyl monomer which can be used for the above-described crystalline resin A.When the amorphous resin B is a vinyl resin, the proportion of the monomer unit (d) is preferably from 5.0 to 40.0% by mass. The lower limit is more preferably 10.0 mass % or more, even more preferably 13.0 mass % or more, and even more preferably 15.0 mass % or more. The upper limit is more preferably 35.0 mass % or less, even more preferably 30.0 mass % or less, and even more preferably 20.0 mass % or less.Further, the amorphous resin B may contain a styrene-based monomer unit. The amorphous resin B preferably contains from 50.0% by mass to 95.0% by mass, and more preferably from 60.0% by mass to 80.0% by mass of the styrene-based monomer unit.When the amorphous resin B is a polyester resin, among the polyester resins which can be obtained by the reaction of the above-mentioned dibasic or higher carboxylic acid with a polyhydric alcohol, a resin having no crystallinity can be used.The toner preferably has a weight average molecular weight (Mw) of the tetrahydrofuran (THF)-soluble substance, as measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), of 10000 to 200000. The lower limit is more preferably 30000 or more, and even more preferably 50000 or more. The upper limit is more preferably 180000 or less. If the Mw is within the above range, the durability of the toner is likely to be improved.Moreover, the value (Mw / Mn) of the ratio of the weight average molecular weight (Mw) of the THF-soluble matter of the toner to the number average molecular weight (Mn) is preferably from 5.0 to 15.0, and more preferably from 7.0 to 12.0.The toner has a weight average particle size of 4.0 μm to 10.0 μm. With the weight-average particle size in the above range, it is possible to achieve both low-temperature fixability and high gloss over a wide temperature range. The weight-average particle size of the toner is preferably from 5.0 μm to 9.0 μm, more preferably from 5.3 μm to 8.5 μm.The melting point derived from the crystalline resin A in the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurement of the toner is preferably from 50° C. to 80° C. When the melting point of the crystalline resin A is in this range, it is easier to improve the low-temperature fixability. The preferred melting point range is from 55°C to 75°C, more preferably from 57°C to 70°C.The toner may contain a releasing agent. The releasing agent is at least one selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbon waxes and ester waxes. By using a hydrocarbon wax and / or an ester wax, it is easier to ensure an effective separation effect. The release agent preferably contains an ester wax, more preferably a polyfunctional ester wax. The polyfunctional ester wax improves abrasion resistance and high temperature gloss.The polyfunctional ester wax refers to an ester compound of a polyhydric alcohol and a monocarboxylic acid, and an ester compound of a polycarboxylic acid and a monohydric alcohol. The polyfunctional ester wax is preferably at least one ester compound selected from the group consisting of an ester compound of a tetrahydro- to octahydric alcohol and an aliphatic monocarboxylic acid, and an ester compound of a tetravalent- to octahydric carboxylic acid and an aliphatic monohydric alcohol. More preferably, the polyfunctional ester wax is at least one ester compound selected from the group consisting of an ester compound of a hexahydric to octahydric alcohol and an aliphatic monocarboxylic acid, and an ester compound of a hexahydric to eighthydric carboxylic acid and an aliphatic monohydric alcohol.The hydrocarbon wax is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include the following.Aliphatic hydrocarbon waxes: low molecular weight polyethylene, low molecular weight polypropylene, low molecular weight olefin copolymer, Fischer-Tropsch wax or waxes obtained by oxidation or addition of acid thereto.The ester wax may have at least one ester bond in a molecule, either natural ester wax or synthetic ester wax may be used.The ester wax is not particularly limited and includes, for example, the following.Esters of monohydric alcohols and monocarboxylic acids such as behenyl behenate, stearyl stearate and palmityl palmitate; esters of dibasic carboxylic acids and monohydric alcohols such as dibehenyl sebacate; esters of dibasic alcohols and monocarboxylic acids such as ethylene glycol distearate and hexanediol dibehenate; esters of trivalent alcohols and monocarboxylic acids such as glycerol tribehenate; esters of tetrahydro alcohols and monocarboxylic acids such as pentaerythritol tetrastearate and pentaerythritol tetrapalmitate; esters of hexahydric alcohols and monocarboxylic acids such as Dipentaerythritolhexastearat dipentaerythritol hexapalmitate and Dipentaerythritolhexabehenat; esters of polyhydric alcohols and monocarboxylic acids such as polyglycerol behenate; and natural ester waxes such as karnauba wax and rice wax.Among them, at least one compound selected from the group consisting of esters of hexahydroxic alcohols and monocarboxylic acids such as Dipentaerythritolhexastearat Dipentaerythritolhexapalmitat and Dipentaerythritolhexabehenat and esters of octahydric alcohols and monocarboxylic acids such as Tripentaerythritoloctastearat tripentaerythritol octapalmitate and Tripentaerythritoloctabehenat is preferred.As the releasing agent, a hydrocarbon wax or an ester wax may be used alone or a combination of a hydrocarbon wax and an ester wax, or two or more of them may be mixed together.In the toner, the content of the releasing agent in the toner particle is preferably from 1.0% by mass to 30.0% by mass, more preferably from 2.0% by mass to 25.0% by mass, even more preferably from 5.0% by mass to 15.0% by mass, and even more preferably from 6.0% by mass to 13.0% by mass. When the content of the release agent in the toner particle is within the above range, it becomes easier to obtain the effects of abrasion resistance and high gloss at high temperatures.The melting point of the release agent is preferably from 60° C. to 120° C. When the melting point of the release agent is within the above range, the release agent melts during fixation and easily migrates to the surface of the toner particles, thereby being more easily separable. More preferably, the melting point of the releasing agent is from 70°C to 100°C.The toner may contain a colorant. Examples of the colorant include known organic pigments, organic dyes, inorganic pigments, carbon black as black colorants, magnetic particles and the like. Moreover, colorants used in conventional toners may be used.Examples of yellow colorants include the following: condensed azo compounds, isoindolinone compounds, anthraquinone compounds, azo metal complexes, methine compounds, and allylamide compounds. Specifically, C.I. Pigment Yellow 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 62, 74, 83, 93, 94, 95, 109, 110, 111, 128, 129, 147, 155, 168, and 180 are preferably used.Examples of colored colorants include the following: condensed azo compounds, diketopyrrolopyrrole compounds, anthraquinone compounds, quinacridone compounds, basic dye lake compounds, naphthol compounds, benzimidazolone compounds, thioindigo compounds, and perylene compounds. Specifically, C.I. Pigment Red 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 23, 48:2, 48:3, 48:4, 57:1, 81:1, 122, 144, 146, 166, 169, 177, 184, 185, 202, 206, 220, 221 and 254 are preferably used.Examples of cyan colorants include the following: copper phthalocyanine compounds and their derivatives, anthraquinone compounds, and basic dye lake compounds. Specifically, C.I. Pigment Blue 1, 7, 15, 15:1, 15:2, 15:3, 15:4, 60, 62, and 66 are preferably used.The colorant is selected from the viewpoints of hue angle, chroma, lightness, light fastness, OHP transparency and dispersibility in the toner.The content of the colorant is preferably from 1.0% by mass to 20.0 parts by mass per 100.0 parts by mass of the binder resin. When magnetic particles are used as the coloring agent, the content is preferably from 40.0% by mass to 150.0% by mass per 100.0 parts by mass of the binder resin.The toner particle may include a charge control agent, if desired. The charge control agent may also be added externally to the toner particle. By mixing the charge control agent, the charge characteristics can be stabilized, and it becomes possible to control the optimum triboelectric charge amount according to the development system.A known charge control agent can be used, and a charge control agent that has a particularly fast charging speed and can stably maintain a constant charge amount is preferable.As the charge control agents which control the negative chargeability of the toner, the following may be mentioned.Organometallic compounds and chelate compounds are effective, and examples of charge control agents include monoazo metal compounds, acetyl acetone metal compounds and metal compounds of aromatic hydroxycarboxylic acids, aromatic dicarboxylic acids, hydroxycarboxylic acids and dicarboxylic acid systems.Examples of agents that control the positive chargeability of the toner include the followingExamples include: nigrosine, quaternary ammonium salts, metal salts of higher fatty acids, diorganotin borates, guanidine compounds and imidazole compounds.The content of the charge control agent is preferably from 0.01 parts by mass to 20.0 parts by mass, and more preferably from 0.5 parts by mass to 10.0 parts by mass per 100.0 parts by mass of toner particles.The toner particles may be used as toners as they are, or they may be used as toners by mixing them with an external additive, etc. and applying them to the surface of the toner particles.Examples of external additives include inorganic fine particles selected from the group consisting of silica fine particles, alumina fine particles and titania fine particles, or composite oxides thereof. Examples of the composite particles include silica-aluminum fine particles and strontium titanate fine particles.The content of the external additive is preferably from 0.01 parts by mass to 8.0 parts by mass, and more preferably from 0.1 parts by mass to 4.0 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of toner particles.The toner particles can be prepared by any conventional method such as suspension polymerization, emulsion aggregation, solution suspension or pulverization within the scope of the present case. However, it is preferred to produce the toner particles by suspension polymerization.The method of suspension polymerization will be described in detail below.For example, a crystalline resin A previously synthesized is mixed with polymerizable monomers to produce an amorphous resin B. If necessary, other materials such as a colorant, a release agent and a charge control agent are also mixed and uniformly dissolved or dispersed to prepare a polymerizable monomer composition.Subsequently, the polymerizable monomer composition is dispersed in an aqueous medium using a stirrer or the like to prepare suspended particles of the polymerizable monomer composition. The polymerizable monomers contained in the particles are then polymerized by an initiator or the like to obtain toner particles.After completion of the polymerization, the toner particles are filtered, washed and dried according to known methods, and an external additive is added as needed to obtain the toner.The polymerization initiator may be a known polymerization initiator.Examples thereof include azo or diazo polymerization initiators such as 2,2'-azobis-(2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile), 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile, 1,1'-azobis(cyclohexane-1-carbonitrile), 2,2'-azobis-4-methoxy-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile and azobisisobutyronitrile; and peroxide polymerization initiators such as benzoyl peroxide, t-butylperoxy-2-ethylhexanoate, t-butylperoxypivalate, t-butylperoxyisobutyrate, t-butylperoxyneodecanoate, methyl ethyl ketone peroxide, diisopropylperoxycarbonate, cumene hydroperoxide, 2,4-dichlorobenzoyl peroxide and lauroyl peroxide.In addition, known chain transfer agents and polymerization inhibitors may also be used.The aqueous medium may contain an inorganic or organic dispersion stabilizer. As the dispersion stabilizer, known dispersing agents can be used.Examples of inorganic dispersion stabilizers include phosphates such as hydroxyapatite, tricalcium phosphate, dicalcium phosphate, magnesium phosphate, aluminum phosphate and zinc phosphate; carbonates such as calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate; metal hydroxides such as calcium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide and aluminum hydroxide; sulfates such as calcium sulfate and barium sulfate; calcium metasilicate; bentonite; silica and alumina.Examples of organic dispersion stabilizers include polyvinyl alcohol, gelatin, methyl cellulose, methyl hydroxypropyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose, sodium salt of carboxymethyl cellulose, polyacrylic acid and its salts, and starch.When an inorganic compound is used as a dispersion stabilizer, a commercially available product can be used as it is, but in order to obtain finer particles, the inorganic compound can be produced and used in an aqueous medium.Thus, for example, in the case of calcium phosphate such as hydroxyapatite or tricalcium phosphate, an aqueous phosphate solution can be mixed with an aqueous solution of a calcium salt with vigorous stirring.The aqueous medium may contain a surfactant. As the surfactant, known surfactants can be used. Examples thereof include anionic surfactants such as sodium dodecyl benzene sulfate and sodium oleate, cationic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants and nonionic surfactants.Methods for calculating and measuring various physical properties of toners and toner materials will be described below.A method for observation of the cross section of toner in transmission electron microscope (TEM) and measurement of the major axis and the number of domainsThe domain-matrix structure is observed after staining the toner cross section with ruthenium.First, the toner is spread in a single layer on a cover glass (Matsunami Glass Co., Ltd., square cover glass No. 1). Then, an Os film (5 nm) and a naphthalene film (20 nm) are applied to the toner as protective films with an osmium plasma coater (Filgen, Inc., OPC80T).Subsequently, a PTFE tube (inner diameter φ1.5 mm× outer diameter φ3 mm×3 mm) is filled with the light-curing resin D800 (JEOL Ltd.), and the above-mentioned cover glass is gently laid on the tube in one direction so that the toner is brought into contact with the light-curing resin D800. In this state, the resin is cured by irradiation with light, and then the cover glass and the tube are removed to form a cylindrical resin in which the toner is embedded in the outermost surface.With an ultrasonic ultramicrotome (Leica, UC7) and a cutting speed of 0.6 mm / sec, the cylindrical resin is cut from the outermost surface, the cutting depth corresponding to the radius of the toner (4.0 μm at a weight average particle size (D4) of 8.0 μm) to expose the cross section of the toner. Then, a thin sample of the toner section is prepared by cutting to a layer thickness of 250 nm. By this cutting, the cross section of the central part of the toner can be obtained.The obtained thin film sample is dyed for 15 minutes in an atmosphere of RuO 4- gas at 500 Pa with an electronic vacuum dyeing apparatus (Filgen, Inc., VSC4R1H), and STEM observation is performed with a TEM (JEOL, JEM2800). The probe size in STEM observation is 1 nm, and the image size is 1024×1024 pixels.The obtained bright field images are binarized with the image processing software "Image-ProPlus (manufactured by Media Cybernetics, Inc.)". In this binarization, the brightness change from black to white is assumed to be 0 gradations to 255 gradations, the portion at or below 127 gradations being considered black and the portion at or above 128 gradations being considered white.In the cross-sectional view of the toner, the portions containing the crystalline resin A are shown in black when the binarization process is performed, and the portions containing the amorphous resin B are shown in white when the binarization process is performed.From the images obtained by STEM observation after the binarization process, it is determined whether a domain-matrix structure is observed in the cross section of the toner. It is also determined whether the domains and matrix contain crystalline resin A or amorphous resin B. When the ratio of the cross sections of particles in which a domain-matrix structure has formed to the cross section of the toner is 80% by number or more, it is determined that the cross section of the measured toner has a domain-matrix structure. The domain-matrix structure refers to a state in which domains that are discontinuous phases are dispersed in a matrix that is a continuous phase.Next, the toner particles to be observed for measurement of the major axis of the domains are selected as follows. First, the cross-sectional area of the toner particles is obtained from the cross-sectional image of the toner particles, and the diameter of a circle having an area corresponding to the cross-sectional area (circle-equivalent diameter) is determined. The toner particles to be considered are those in which the absolute value of the difference between this circle-equivalent diameter and the weight-average particle diameter (D4) of the toner is 1.0 μm or less. Then, 100 toner particles to be observed are selected.Then, the major axis of the domains (white regions when the domain is amorphous resin B) in the cross section of the toner particles selected for observation is measured. Of these, a domain having a major axis of 300 nm or more is referred to as domain C, and a domain having a major axis of 200 nm or less is referred to as domain D. The number average major axis of domains D is calculated for 100 toner particles.Also, the proportion of the cross sections satisfying both (i) and (ii) is calculated. (i) 5 to 20 domains C per cross section of a toner particle are present, and the area ratio of the domains C is 10% to 30% of the area with respect to the area of the cross section; (ii) domains D are observed over an entire range of a range except for the domain C in cross section.Here, whether the domains D are observed in the entire region is determined in the following manner. Three square regions of 1 μm except for the domains C on the cross section of the toner particle are selected. When the number of domains D in all three 1 μm square regions is 30 or more, it is determined that "domains D are observed over the entire region.".The proportion of the cross sections in which the area ratio of the domains C is between 15% and 25% of the area with respect to the area of the toner cross section is calculated. Further, among the domains C, those having a major axis of 400 nm or more are referred to as domains E. The proportion of the cross sections in which 4 to 20 domains E are present per one toner particle is calculated.In addition, an arbitrary square region of 1 μm except for the domains C on the cross section of the toner particle is selected, and the number of domains D in the square region of 1 μm is calculated. The arithmetic mean of 100 particles is taken under observation.Principle of Ruthenium StainingWhen the cross section of a toner particle is colored with ruthenium, the crystalline resin component is colored more strongly with ruthenium than the amorphous resin component, so that the contrast becomes clearer and the cross section of the toner particle is more easily recognized. This is because RuO 4 has a strong oxidizing power and oxidizes the long-chain alkyl and alkylene groups, which increase crystallinity, so that the crystalline resin component becomes more colored than the amorphous resin component.The more ruthenium atoms are contained therein, the more ruthenium atoms are contained, and the more ruthenium atoms are present, the lower the electron beam transmission. Therefore, resin components having higher crystallinity are colored more strongly in electron micrographs.Conversely, amorphous resin components are stained faintly or not at all. From this, it can be understood that the highly colored portions are portions containing crystalline resin, and the lightly colored or non-colored portions are portions containing amorphous resin.Method for Measuring Weight Average Particle Diameter (D4) of TonerThe weight average particle diameter (D4) of the toner is calculated as follows. The apparatus used is a precision apparatus for measuring the particle size distribution by the pore electric resistance method, "Coulter Counter Multisizer 3" (registered trademark, manufactured by Beckman Coulter, Inc.), equipped with a 100 μm aperture tube. The setting of the measurement conditions and the analysis of the measurement data are carried out using the dedicated software "Beckman Coulter Multisizer 3 version 3.51" (manufactured by Beckman Coulter, Inc.), which is provided with the device. The measurement is performed with an effective measurement channel number of 25000 channels.The aqueous electrolyte solution that can be used for the measurement is prepared by dissolving special-grade sodium chloride in ion-exchanged water in a concentration of about 1 mass %. For example, "ISOTON II" (manufactured by Beckman Coulter, Inc.) may be used. Prior to measurement and analysis, the appropriate software is set as follows.On the screen "Change Standard Measurement Method (SOMEME)" of the dedicated software, the total number of particles in the control mode is set to 5000; the number of measurements is set to 1; and the Kd value is set to the value obtained with "Standard Particle 10.0 μm" (manufactured by Beckman Coulter, Inc.). The threshold and the noise level are automatically set by pressing the "Threshold / Noise Level Measurement" key. Also activated is the current to 1600 μA, the gain to 2, the electrolyte solution to ISOTON II, and the option "Flush Aperture Tube After Measurement.".In the "pulse to particle size conversion setting" screen of the software according to the specification, the bin interval is set to logarithmic particle size, the particle size bin to 256 particle size bins and the particle size range to 2 μm to 60 μm.The specific method for measurement is as follows. (1) About 200 mL of the aqueous electrolyte solution is poured into a special 250-ml round bottom beaker of the Multisizer 3, the beaker is placed on the sample stand and stirred counterclockwise with a stirring bar at 24 revolutions per second. Then, the "Aperture Tube Flush" function of the intended software is used to remove dirt and air bubbles from the interior of the aperture tube. (2) A total of 30 mL of the aqueous electrolyte solution is poured into a 100 mL flat-bottom beaker. Subsequently, 0.3 mL of a solution of "Contaminon N" (a 10 mass % aqueous solution of a neutral detergent for cleaning precision measurement instruments, pH 7, manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) diluted 3-fold with ion-exchanged water is added as a dispersant to the aqueous electrolyte solution. (3) An ultrasonic disperser "Ultrasonic Dispersion System Tetra 150" (manufactured by Nikkaki Bios Co., Ltd.) having an electric output of 120 W and two built-in oscillators having an oscillation frequency of 50 kHz with a phase shift of 180 degrees is prepared. Into the water tank of the ultrasonic disperser, 3.3 L of ion-exchanged water in total is introduced and 2 mL of contaminon N is added. (4) The beaker of (2) is inserted into the beaker mounting hole of the ultrasonic disperser, and the ultrasonic disperser is operated. The height position of the beaker is adjusted so as to maximize the resonance state of the aqueous electrolyte solution in the beaker. (5) While sonicating the aqueous electrolyte solution in the beaker of (4) with ultrasonic waves, 10 mg of toner is gradually added to the aqueous electrolyte solution and dispersed. The dispersing process is then continued with ultrasound for a further 60 seconds. In addition, during ultrasonic dispersion, the water temperature of the water tank is adjusted to 10° C. to 40° C. as needed. (6) The aqueous electrolyte solution of (5) in which the toner has been dispersed is dropped by a pipette into the round bottom beaker of (1) located in the sample stand, and the measured concentration is adjusted to about 5%. Then, the measurement is continued until the number of the measured particles reaches 50000. (7) The measurement data is analyzed with the dedicated software provided with the apparatus, and the weight-average particle size (D4) is calculated. When the dedicated software is set to graph / volume %, the "average diameter" on the screen "Analysis / Volume Statistics (Arithmetic Mean)" corresponds to the weight average particle size (D4).Method for Measuring Melting Point of Crystalline Resin A in Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) for Measuring TonerThe melting point of the toner is measured with a DSC Q2000 (manufactured by TA Instruments) under the following conditions.Temperature rise rate: 10°C / minMeasurement start temperature: 20° CMeasurement end temperature: 180° CThe melting points of indium and zinc are used to correct the temperature of the device, and the heat of fusion of indium is used to correct the amount of heat.Specifically, 5 mg of the sample is weighed and placed in an aluminum dish, and differential scanning calorimetry is performed. An empty silver dish is used as a reference. During the temperature rise, the temperature is raised to 180° C. at a rate of 10° C. / min. The peak temperature is then calculated from each peak.When the maximum endothermic peak, i.e., the endothermic peak believed to be derived from the crystalline resin A does not overlap with other endothermic peaks, e.g., the releasing agent, the temperature at the maximum endothermic peak is taken as the melting point of the toner.If other endothermic peaks, e.g., of the separation means, overlap with the maximum endothermic peak, the endothermic peak originating from the separation means must be subtracted.For example, the endothermic peak derived from the crystalline resin A can be obtained by subtracting the endothermic amount derived from the releasing agent according to the following method.First, a separate DSC measurement is performed on the release agent alone to determine its endothermic properties. Then, the content of the releasing agent contained in the toner is determined. The content of the releasing agent in the toner can be measured by a known structure analysis. Thereafter, the endothermic amount due to the releasing agent is calculated from the content of the releasing agent in the toner, and this amount can be subtracted from the peak derived from the binder resin.When the release agent is well compatible with the binder resin component, the content of the release agent must be multiplied by the compatibility rate and then the endothermic amount due to the release agent must be calculated and subtracted. The compatibility rate is calculated by dividing the endothermic amount obtained for a mixture obtained by melt-blending the molten mixture of the resin components and the releasing agent in the same ratio as the ratio of the content of the releasing agent by the theoretical amount of the endothermic amount calculated from the endothermic amount of the melt mixture obtained in advance and the endothermic amount of the releasing agent alone.Method for Measuring Molecular Weight of TonerThe molecular weight (weight average molecular weight Mw) of the THF-soluble matter of the toner is measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) as follows.First, the toner is dissolved in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at room temperature for 24 hours. The resulting solution is then filtered through a solvent-resistant membrane filter "Myshori Disc" (manufactured by Tosoh Corporation) having a pore size of 0.2 μm to obtain a sample solution. The sample solution is adjusted so that the concentration of the THF-soluble components is 0.8 mass %. With this sample solution, measurements are made under the following conditions.Apparatus: HLC8120 GPC (detector: RI) (manufactured by Tosoh Corporation)Columns: Shodex KF-801, 802, 803, 804, 805, 806, 807 (manufactured by Showadenkosya Co., Ltd.)- Eluent: tetrahydrofuran (THF)Flow rate: 1.0 mL / min- Oven temperature: 40.0°C- Sample injection volume: 0.10 mLFor calculating the molecular weight of the sample, a molecular weight calibration curve prepared using standard polystyrene resins (e.g., product names "TSK Standard Polystyrene F-850, F-450, F-288, F-128, F-80, F-40, F-20, F-10, F-4, F-2, F-1, A-5000, A-2500, A-1000, A-500", manufactured by Tosoh Corporation) is used.Method for separating crystalline resin A and amorphous resin B from tonerThe crystalline resin A and the amorphous resin B can be separated from the toner by known methods, an example of which is shown below.The gradient polymer LC is used as a method for separating the components of the resin from the toner. In this analysis, the separation can be carried out according to the polarity of the resin in the binder resin irrespective of the molecular weight.First, the toner is dissolved in chloroform. The sample is adjusted to a sample concentration of 0.1 mass % in chloroform, and the solution filtered by a 0.45 μm PTFE filter is used for measurement.The measurement conditions for the gradient polymer LC are listed below.Apparatus: ULTIMATE 3000 (manufactured by Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.) Mobile phase: A chloroform (HPLC), B acetonitrile (HPLC)Gradient: 2 min (A / B=0 / 100)→25 min (A / B=100 / 0)(The gradient of the mobile phase change was made linear.)Flow rate: 1.0 mL / minInjection: 0.1 mass %×20 μLColumn: Tosoh TSKgel ODS (4.6 mmφ×150 mm×25 μm)Temperature of the column: 40°CDetector: Corona charged aerosol detector (corona CAD) (manufactured by Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.)The resin components may be separated into two peaks according to polarity in the time-intensity graph obtained by the measurement. Thereafter, the above measurement is again performed, and the separation into two kinds of resins may be performed by fractionation at the time when the valleys of the respective peaks are reached.The separated resins are subjected to DSC measurement, and the resin having a melting point peak is regarded as crystalline resin A and that without such a peak is regarded as amorphous resin B.When the toner contains a releasing agent, components having a molecular weight of 3000 or less are separated as the releasing agent by HPLC recycling. The measurement method is shown below. First, a chloroform solution of the toner is prepared according to the above-described method. The resulting solution is then filtered through a solvent-resistant membrane filter "Myshori Disc" (manufactured by Tosoh Corporation) having a pore size of 0.2 μm to obtain a sample solution. The sample solution is adjusted so that the concentration of the chloroform-soluble components is 1.0% by mass. With this sample solution, measurements are made under the following conditions.Apparatus: LC-Sakura NEXT (manufactured by Japan Analytical Industry Co., Ltd.)Column: JAIGEL 2H, 4H (manufactured by Japan Analytical Industry Co., Ltd.)- Eluent: chloroformFlow rate: 10.0 mL / min- Oven temperature: 40.0°C- Sample injection volume: 1.0 mLFor calculating the molecular weight of the sample, a molecular weight calibration curve prepared using standard polystyrene resins (e.g., product names "TSK Standard Polystyrene F-850, F-450, F-288, F-128, F-80, F-40, F-20, F-10, F-4, F-2, F-1, A-5000, A-2500, A-1000, A-500", manufactured by Tosoh Corporation) is used.From the molecular weight curve thus obtained, the components having a molecular weight of 3000 or less are repeatedly fractionated and the release agent is removed from the toner. The molecular weight to be fractionated may be changed in consideration of the molecular weight of the separating agent.A method for measuring the ratio between the content of various monomer units such as monomer unit (a) in the resin and the number of carbon atoms in the alkyl groupThe ratio of the content of various monomer units (a) and the like in the resin and the number of carbon atoms in the alkyl group are measured by 1 H-NMR under the following conditions. The crystalline resin A fractionated by the above method can be used as a sample for measurement.Measuring apparatus: FT-NMR apparatus JNM-EX400 (manufactured by JEOL Ltd.)Measurement frequency: 400 MHzPulse condition: 5.0 μsFrequency range: 10500 HzNumber of Accumulation: 64Measurement temperature: 30° CSample: To prepare the sample, 50 mg of the measurement sample is placed in a sample tube having an inner diameter of 5 mm, deuterated chloroform (CDCl 3) is added as a solvent, and it is dissolved in a thermostatic bath at 40° C.The obtained 1 H-NMR chart is analyzed to identify the structure of the individual monomer units. Here, for example, measurement of the ratio of the content of the monomer unit (a) in the crystalline resin A and the number of carbon atoms in the alkyl group will be described.In the obtained 1 H-NMR chart, from the peaks to be assigned to the constituent elements of the monomer unit (a), a peak independent from the peaks to be assigned to the constituent elements of other monomer units is selected, and the integral value S1 of this peak is calculated. The integral values of the other monomer units contained in the crystalline resin A are also calculated in the same manner.When the monomer units constituting the crystalline resin A are the monomer unit (a) and another monomer unit, the ratio of the content of the monomer unit (a) is calculated in the following manner by using the integral value S1 and the integral value S2 of the peak of the other monomer unit. Here, n1and n2are the number of hydrogen atoms in the constituent elements to which the peak of interest belongs for each segment.Although there are two or more kinds of other monomer units, the ratio of the content of the monomer unit (a) can be calculated in the same manner (using S3... Sx, n3... nx).Also, the number of carbon atoms in the alkyl group can be calculated from the integral ratio of proton peaks in the 1 H-NMR chart.When a polymerizable monomer containing no hydrogen atoms in other components than the vinyl group is used, the measurement atomic nucleus is set to 13 C using 13 C-NMR, measurement is performed in a single pulse mode, and calculation is performed in the same manner as in 1 H-NMR. The ratio of each monomer unit calculated by the above method (mol %) is multiplied by the molecular weight of each monomer unit to convert the ratio of the content of each monomer unit in mass %. The same method is used for the measurement of the amorphous resin B.ExamplesThe present disclosure will be explained in more detail below with reference to examples, which however do not serve to restrict the present disclosure in any way. In the following formulations, parts are by weight unless otherwise indicated.Preparation of crystalline resin A1The following materials were placed in a reaction vessel equipped with a reflux condenser, a stirrer, a thermometer and a nitrogen inlet tube under nitrogen atmosphere. <row><cell>toluene< / cell><cell>100,0 Parts< / cell>< / row><row><cell>- monomer composition< / cell><cell>100,0 Parts< / cell>< / row><p xml:id="_5c6c7c0267" n="0175">(The monomer composition is a mixture of the following monomers in the ratio indicated below)<title desc="title" / ><row><cell>(Behenyl acrylate< / cell><cell>65,0 Parts)< / cell>< / row><row><cell>(Styrene< / cell><cell>15,0 Parts)< / cell>< / row><row><cell>(Methacrylonitrile< / cell><cell>10,0 Parts< / cell>< / row><row><cell>(N-Vinyl-2-pyrrolidone< / cell><cell>10,0 Parts)< / cell>< / row><row><cell>polymerization initiator: t-butylperoxypivalate (perbutyl PV, manufactured by NOF Corp.)< / cell><cell>0,5 Parts< / cell>< / row><p xml:id="_5c6c7c0290" n="0176">The inside of the reaction vessel was heated to 70°C with stirring at 200 U / min, and the polymerization reaction was carried out for 12 hours to obtain a solution in which the polymer of the monomer composition was dissolved in toluene. The temperature of the solution was then lowered to 25°C, and the solution was poured into 1000.0 parts of methanol with stirring to precipitate the methanol-insoluble matter. The methanol-insoluble matter thus formed was filtered off, washed with methanol, and then dried at 40°C in vacuofor 24 hours to obtain crystalline resin A1. Table 1 shows the physical properties of the crystalline resin A1.<head xml:id="_5c6c7c0291">Preparation of Crystalline Resins A2 to A12< / head><p xml:id="_5c6c7c0292" n="0177">Crystalline resins A2 to A12 were prepared in the same manner as crystalline resin A1, except that the amounts of the monomer composition and the polymerization initiator added were changed to the values shown in Table 1. Table 1 shows the physical properties of the crystalline resins A2 to A12. [Table 1] Table 1<title desc="title">Table 1Crystalline Resin A1Behenyl acrylate2165,0Styrene15,0Methacrylonitrile10,0N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidones10,00,5323003,3Crystalline - Resin A2Behenyl acrylate2165,0Styrene15,0Methacrylonitrile10,0N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidones10,00,3386005,3Crystalline Resin A3Behenyl acrylate2165,0Styrene15,0Methacrylonitrile13,0N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidones7,00,5315003,2Crystalline Resin A4Behenyl acrylate2165,0Styrene15,0Methacrylonitrile15,0N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidones5,00,5309003,1Crystalline Resin A5Behenyl acrylate2165,0Styrene15,0Methacrylonitrile18,0N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidones2,00,5315003,2Crystalline Resin A6Behenyl acrylate2165,0Styrene15,0Methacrylonitrile20,0-0,5316003,4Crystalline Resin A7Behenyl acrylate2165,0Styrene15,0Acrylonitrile10,0N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidones10,00,5310003,1Crystalline Resin A8Behenyl acrylate2175,0Styrene5,0Methacrylonitrile10,0N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidones10,00,5335003,3Crystalline Resin A9Behenyl acrylate2160,0Styrene20,0Methacrylonitrile10,0N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidones10,00,5325003,3Crystalline Resin A10Stearyl acrylate Behenyl acrylate17 2115,0 50,0Styrene25,0Methacrylonitrile10,0N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidones10,00,5319003,1Crystalline Resin A11Behenyl acrylate2161,5Styrene28,2Acrylonitrile10,3--0..5317003,4Crystalline Resin A12Behenyl acrylate2197,0Methacrylic acid3,0----0,5308003,5Polymerization initiator: t-butyl peroxypivalate (perbutyl PV, manufactured by NOF Corp.)Preparation of amorphous resin B1A total of 50.0 parts of xylene was charged into an autoclave, the atmosphere was replaced with nitrogen, and the temperature was then raised to 185° C. while stirring in a sealed state. A mixture of 80.7 parts of styrene, 17.8 parts of n-butyl acrylate, 1.1 parts of divinylbenzene, 0.5 part of acrylic acid, 1.5 parts of di-tert-butyl peroxide and 20.0 parts of xylene was continuously dropped into the autoclave for 3 hours while maintaining the temperature in the autoclave at 185°C, and polymerization was carried out. The temperature was maintained at the same level for another hour to complete the polymerization, and the solvent was removed to obtain the amorphous resin B1. The weight average molecular weight (Mw) of the amorphous resin B1 was 40000.Example 1Production of toner by suspension polymerization method Production of toner particles 1 <row><cell>n-Butyl acrylate< / cell><cell>16,2 Parts< / cell>< / row><row><cell>styrene< / cell><cell>48,8 Parts< / cell>< / row><row><cell>- Colorant: Pigment Blue 15:3< / cell><cell>6,5 Parts< / cell>< / row><p xml:id="_5c6c7c0502" n="0180">A mixture consisting of the above-mentioned components was prepared. The mixture was placed in an attritor (manufactured by Nippon Cooke Corporation), and dispersed with zirconia beads having a diameter of 5 mm at 200 U / min for 2 hours to obtain a raw material dispersion liquid.<p xml:id="_5c6c7c0503" n="0181">Meanwhile, 735.0 parts of ion-exchanged water and 16.0 parts of trisodium phosphate (12 hydrate) were placed in a vessel equipped with a high-speed stirrer Homomixer (Primix Corporation) and a thermometer, and the temperature was raised to 60° C. at 12000 U / min with stirring. An aqueous calcium chloride solution prepared by dissolving 9.0 parts of calcium chloride (dihydrate) in 65.0 parts of ion-exchanged water was added, and the mixture was stirred at 12000 U / min for 30 minutes while maintaining the temperature at 60° C. Subsequently, 10% hydrochloric acid was added to adjust the pH to 6.0, thereby obtaining an aqueous medium in which an inorganic dispersion stabilizer containing hydroxyapatite was dispersed in water.<p xml:id="_5c6c7c0504" n="0182">The raw material dispersion liquid was then transferred to a vessel equipped with a stirrer and a thermometer, and the temperature was raised to 60° C. under stirring at 100 U / min.<title desc="title" / ><row><cell>crystalline resin A1< / cell><cell>35,0 Parts< / cell>< / row><row><cell>- Release agent 1 (DP18)< / cell><cell>9,0 Parts< / cell>< / row><p xml:id="_5c6c7c0518" n="0183">DP18 (dipentaerythritol stearate wax, melting point 79°C, manufactured by Nisshin OilliO Co., Ltd.)<p xml:id="_5c6c7c0519" n="0184">The above materials were added and stirred at 100 rpm for 30 minutes while maintaining the temperature at 60°C. Thereafter, 5.0 parts of t-butylperoxypivalate (Perbutyl PV, manufactured by NOF Corp.) was added as a polymerization initiator and stirred for another minute. The mixture was then poured into the aqueous medium which was stirred in the high speed stirrer at 12000 U / min. Stirring was continued for 20 minutes at 12000 U / min in the high-speed stirrer while the temperature was maintained at 60° C. to obtain a granulating liquid.<p xml:id="_5c6c7c0520" n="0185">The granulating liquid was transferred to a reaction vessel equipped with a reflux condenser, a stirrer, a thermometer and a nitrogen inlet tube, and the temperature was raised to 70°C under nitrogen atmosphere at 150 U / min with stirring. A polymerization reaction was carried out at 150 U / min and a temperature of 70° C. for 12 hours, and a toner particle dispersion liquid was obtained.<p xml:id="_5c6c7c0521" n="0186">The toner particle dispersion liquid thus obtained was cooled to 45°C with stirring at 150 U / min, and then heat-treated at 45°C for 5 hours. Thereafter, diluted hydrochloric acid was added with stirring until the pH reached 1.5 to dissolve the dispersion stabilizer. The solid content was filtered off, washed thoroughly with ion-exchanged water, and then vacuum-dried at 30°C for 24 hours to obtain toner particles 1.<head xml:id="_5c6c7c0522">Preparation of Toner 1< / head><p xml:id="_5c6c7c0523" n="0187">To 98.0 parts of Toner Particle 1, 2.0 parts of silica fine particles (hydrophobicized with hexamethyldisilazane, number-average particle size of primary particles: 10 nm, BET specific surface area: 170 m <hi rend="superscript">2< / hi> / g) were added as an external additive. This was mixed for 15 minutes at 3000 U / min with a Henschel mixer (manufactured by Nippon Cook Corporation) to obtain Toner 1.<p xml:id="_5c6c7c0525" n="0188">Table 3 shows the physical properties of the obtained toner 1, and Table 4 contains the evaluation results.

[0108] [Table 2] Table 2<title desc="title">Table 211SPCrystalline Resin A135,0n-Butyl acrylate316,2St48,85,0Dipentaerythritol stearate wax9,022SPCrystalline Resin A135,0n-Butyl acrylate319,5St45,55,0Dipentaerythritol stearate wax9,033SPCrystalline Resin A135,0n-Butyl acrylate313,0St52,05,0Dipentaerythritol stearate wax9,044SPCrystalline Resin A135,0Lauryl acrylates1116,2St48,85,0Dipentaerythritol stearate wax9,055SPCrystalline Resin A235,0n-Butyl acrylate316,2St48,85,0Dipentaerythritol stearate wax9,066SPCrystalline Resin A135,0n-Butyl acrylate316,2St48,83,0Dipentaerythritol stearate wax9,077SPCrystalline Resin A140,0n-Butyl acrylate315,0St45,05,0Dipentaerythritol stearate wax9,088SPCrystalline Resin A145,0n-Butyl acrylate313,7St41,35,0Dipentaerythritol stearate wax9,099SPCrystalline Resin A130,0n-Butyl acrylate317,5St52,55,0Dipentaerythritol stearate wax9,01010SPCrystalline Resin A335,0n-Butyl acrylate316,2St48,85,0Dipentaerythritol stearate wax9,01111SPCrystalline Resin A435,0n-Butyl acrylate316,2St48,85,0Dipentaerythritol stearate wax9,01212SPCrystalline Resin A535,0n-Butyl acrylate316,2St48,85,0Dipentaerythritol stearate wax9,01313SPCrystalline Resin A635,0n-Butyl acrylate316,2St48,85,0Dipentaerythritol stearate wax9,01414SPCrystalline Resin A735,0n-Butyl acrylate316,2St48,85,0Dipentaerythritol stearate wax9,01515SPCrystalline Resin A835,0n-Butyl acrylate316,2St48,85,0Dipentaerythritol stearate wax9,01616SPCrystalline Resin A935,0n-Butyl acrylate316,2St48,85,0Dipentaerythritol stearate wax9,01717SPCrystalline Resin A135,0n-Butyl acrylate316,2St48,85,0Tripentaerythritol stearate wax9,01818SPCrystalline Resin A135,0n-Butyl acrylate316,2St48,85,0Behenyl behenate9,01919SPCrystalline Resin A135,0n-Butyl acrylate316,2St48,85,0Paraffin wax (HNP51)9,02020SPCrystalline Resin A1035,0n-Butyl acrylate316,2St48,85,0Dipentaerythritol stearate wax9,0Comparison 1Comparison 1SPCrystalline Resin A135,0Lauryl acrylate1118,2St46,85,0Dipentaerythritol stearate wax9,0Comparison 2Comparison 2SPCrystalline Resin A135,0Lauryl acrylate1119,5St45,55,0Dipentaerythritol stearate wax9,0Comparison 3Comparison 3SPCrystalline Resin A135,0---St65,05,0Dipentaerythritol stearate wax9,0Comparison 5Comparison 5SPCrystalline Resin A1235,0n-Butyl acrylate316,2St48,85,0Paraffin wax (HNP51)9,0As for the production process, SP stands for the process of suspension polymerization. Furthermore, St stands for styrene. The number m of carbon atoms represents m in formula (2).Polymerization initiator: t-butylperoxypivalate (Perbutyl PV, manufactured by NOF Corp.)The tripentaerythritol stearate wax used is TP18 manufactured by Nisshin OilliO Co. The HNP51 is a paraffin wax manufactured by Nippon Seiro Co. [Table 3] Table 3 Table 3116,51025008,9AmorphousCrystalline78989396Present is present-226,81038008,8AmorphousCrystalline52939191Present is present-336,6989008,7AmorphousCrystalline122989297Present is present-446,8898008,8AmorphousCrystalline32918688Present is present-556,5989009,4AmorphousCrystalline78999796Present is present-666,412320010,7AmorphousCrystalline78999797Present is present-776,51038008,7AmorphousCrystalline55939191Present is present-886,8999008,6AmorphousCrystalline32918887Present is present-996,7835908,1AmorphousCrystalline98989695Present is present-10106,7826408,1AmorphousCrystalline74979395Present is present-11116,5967008,4AmorphousCrystalline72979394Present is present-12126,71100808,7AmorphousCrystalline70969493Present is present-13136,8948008,3AmorphousCrystalline68969394Present is present-14146,51010508,5AmorphousCrystalline78989396Present is present-15156,5938008,2AmorphousCrystalline54959192Present is present-16166,6998008,2AmorphousCrystalline105989397Present is present-17176,91100508,4AmorphousCrystalline76989396Present is present-18186,41018008,4AmorphousCrystalline52939191Present is present-19196,7818008,1AmorphousCrystalline52928889Present is present-20207,11008008,1AmorphousCrystalline98989495Present is present-Comparison 1Comparison 16,81068008,8AmorphousCrystalline29918586Present is present-Comparison 2Comparison 26,81210508,7AmorphousCrystalline27888484Present is present12%Comparison 3Comparison 36,71104008,6AmorphousCrystalline156968896Present is present-Comparison 4Comparison 47,01018008,4AmorphousCrystalline1963531Present is present65%Comparison 5Comparison 56,7489004,3AmorphousCrystallineNonee054--In the table, D4 indicates the weight average particle size of the toner.Physical properties (1) to (4) are as follows.Physical property (1): proportion (% by number) of the cross sections satisfying both (i) and (ii) below: (i) 5 to 20 domains C are present per cross section of a toner particle, and the area ratio of the domains C is 10% to 30% of the area with respect to the area of the cross section; and (ii) domains D are observed over an entire range of a range except for the domain C in cross section.Physical property (2): Among the cross sections, the proportion (%) of the cross sections in which the area ratio of the domains C is from 15% to 25% of the area with respect to the area of the cross section.Physical property (3): Among the domains C, the proportion (%) of the cross sections in which the number of the domains E having a major axis of 400 nm or more per particle is present is from 4 to 20.Physical property (4): whether the number of domains D present in any selected 1 μm square region except for domains C is 100 or more.In Examples 1 to 20 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4, domains D were observed in the entire range with respect to the physical property (1)(ii).Examples 2 to 20Toner particles 2 to 20 were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the kind and amount of the polymerizable monomers used, the amount of the polymerizable monomers added, were changed to each other.Polymerization initiator and the kind and amount of the releasing agent added were changed as shown in Table 2.Further, external addition was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1 to obtain Toners 2 to 20. Table 3 shows the physical properties of the toners and Table 4 shows the evaluation results.Comparative Examples 1 to 3 and 5Comparative toner particles 1 to 3 and 5 were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the kind and amount of the polymerizable monomer used, the amount of the polymerization initiator added and the kind and amount of the releasing agent added were changed as shown in Table 2.In addition, external addition was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1, and comparative toners 1 to 3 and 5 were obtained. Table 3 shows the physical properties of the toners, and Table 4 shows the evaluation results.Moreover, in Comparative Example 5, domains having a major axis of more than 250 nm were observed in the entire region.Comparative Example 4Production of toner by pulverization method <row><cell>crystalline resin A11:< / cell><cell>50,0 Parts< / cell>< / row><row><cell>amorphous resin B1:< / cell><cell>50,0 Parts< / cell>< / row><row><cell>Fischer-Tropsch wax; melting point 90°C< / cell><cell>5,0 Parts< / cell>< / row><row><cell>- Colorant; Pigment Blue 15:3< / cell><cell>9,0 Parts< / cell>< / row><p xml:id="_5c6c7c1287" n="0206">The above materials were mixed with a Henschel mixer (FM-75 manufactured by Nippon Coke & Engineering Co., Ltd.) at a rotation speed of 20 seconds <hi rend="superscript">-1< / hi> and a rotation time of 5 minutes, and then kneaded in a twin-screw kneader (PCM-30 manufactured by Ikegai Co., Ltd.) set at a temperature of 130° C. with a screw rotation speed of 250 U / min and a discharge temperature of 130° C. The resultant kneaded material was rolled while being cooled with a drum flocculant (MBD30-30, manufactured by Nippon Cooke Corporation). The temperature of the cooling water was set to 15° C., and the conditions were set so that the thickness of the resin composition after rolling and cooling was 1.0 mm.<p xml:id="_5c6c7c1289" n="0207">The obtained resin composition was roughly pulverized to 1 mm or less with a hammer mill to obtain a roughly pulverized product. The resulting roughly pulverized product was then finely pulverized with a mechanical pulverizer (T-250 manufactured by Freund's Turbo Corp.). Comparative toner particle 4 was obtained by further classification with Fakulty F-300 (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Corp.). The operating conditions were a classification rotor rotation speed of 130 s <hi rend="superscript">-1< / hi> and a dispersion rotor rotation speed of 120 s <hi rend="superscript">-1< / hi>.<p xml:id="_5c6c7c1292" n="0208">Further, external addition was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1 to obtain Comparative Toner 4. Table 3 shows the physical properties of the toners and Table 4 shows the evaluation results.<head xml:id="_5c6c7c1293">Toner Evaluation Method< / head><head xml:id="_5c6c7c1294"><1> Low-temperature fixability< / head><p xml:id="_5c6c7c1295" n="0209">The process cartridges filled with the toners 1 to 20 and the comparative toners 1 to 5 were stored at a temperature of 25° C. and an atmospheric humidity of 40% RH for 48 hours. With the LBP-712Ci (Canon Inc.) modified to function even with the fixing unit removed, an unfixed image was output with an image pattern in which nine square images of 10 mm×10 mm were uniformly arranged on the entire transfer paper. The toner application level on the transfer paper was set to 0.80 mg / cm <hi rend="superscript">2< / hi> and the fixing start temperature was evaluated. The transfer paper used was A4 paper ("Prover Bond Paper": 105 g / m <hi rend="superscript">2< / hi>, manufactured by Fox River Co.).<p xml:id="_5c6c7c1298" n="0210">The fixing unit of the LBP-712Ci was removed to the outside, and an external fixing unit configured to operate outside the laser beam printer was used. The fixing temperature in the external fixing unit could be increased in 5°C steps from 90°C, and fixing was performed at a process speed of 240 mm / sec.<p xml:id="_5c6c7c1299" n="0211">The fixed image was visually checked, the lowest temperature at which no cold offset occurred was defined as the fixing start temperature, and the low-temperature fixability was evaluated according to the following criteria. The evaluation results are shown in Table 4.<p xml:id="_5c6c7c1300" n="0212">Criteria for Evaluation A: Fixing start temperature is 100° C. or lower B: Fixing start temperature is 105° C. to 110° C. C. Fixing start temperature is 115° C. to 120° C. D: Fixing start temperature exceeds 120° C<head xml:id="_5c6c7c1301"><2> Eraser resistance of fixed image< / head><p xml:id="_5c6c7c1302" n="0213">The abrasion resistance was evaluated on the fixed image at the fixing start temperature obtained by the evaluation of the low-temperature fixability described above. The image portion of the obtained fixed image was rubbed back and forth 15 times with an eraser (PLAST-0120, manufactured by Reufer Co., Ltd.) under a load of 400 g / cm <hi rend="superscript">2< / hi> and the ratio of the image density reduction caused by the rubbing was calculated. The image density before and after the rubbing was measured, and the image density reduction ratio ΔD (%) was calculated from the following formula. This ΔD (%) was used as an index of abrasion resistance.<p xml:id="_5c6c7c1304" n="0214">The image density was measured with a color reflection densitometer X-Rite 404A: available from X-Rite. The evaluation results are shown in Table 4.<head xml:id="_5c6c7c1305">Criteria for Evaluation< / head><p xml:id="_5c6c7c1306">A: Density reduction ratio is less than 3.0%. B: Density reduction ratio is 3.0% or more and less than 5.0%. C: Density reduction ratio is 5.0% or more and less than 10.0%. D: Density reduction ratio is 10.0% or more<head xml:id="_5c6c7c1307"><3> Evaluation of gloss< / head><p xml:id="_5c6c7c1308" n="0215">The images fixed at the fixing start temperature and at a temperature 40° C. above the fixing start temperature in the above-described <1> evaluation of low-temperature fixability were used. The gloss value was measured with a handy gloss meter PG-1 (manufactured by Nippon Denshoku Industries Co., Ltd.). The measurement conditions were set to 75° for both the projection and receiving angles, and all the image patterns arranged at 9 points were measured and the average value was evaluated. Table 4 shows the evaluation results.<head xml:id="_5c6c7c1309">Criteria for Evaluation of Gloss< / head><p xml:id="_5c6c7c1310">A: Average gloss value is 25.0 or more. B: Average gloss value is 20.0 or more and less than 25.0 C: Average gloss value is 15.0 or more and less than 20.0 D: Average gloss value is less than 15.0

[0118] [Table 4]<title desc="title">

[0118] [Table 4]Example 1Toner 195A. A2,0A. A27,8A. A27,2A. AExample 2Toner 2100A. A4,8B. B26,9A. A22,2B. BExample 3Toner 3100A. A2,5A. A15,6C. C25,2A. AExample 4Toner 4100A. A8,8C. C25,3A. A17,2C. CExample 5Toner 5100A. A2,1A. A27,2A. A27,1A. AExample 6Toner 6100A. A2,0A. A26,3A. A26,9A. AExample 7Toner 795A. A4,3B. B26,9A. A22,8B. BExample 8Toner 890A. A9,2C. C25,2A. A17,8C. CExample 9Toner 9105B. B2,2A. A23,8B. B25,9A. AExample 10Toner 10100A. A2,3A. A27,2A. A26,8A. AExample 11Toner 11100A. A2,9A. A27,3A. A27,2A. AExample 12Toner 12100A. A3,2B. B27,0A. A27,2A. AExample 13Toner 13100A. A4,9B. B26,8A. A26,6A. AExample 14Toner 1495A. A2,1A. A27,6A. A27,3A. AExample 15Toner 1590A. A3,9B. B27,2A. A27,4A. AExample 16Toner 16105B. B2,0A. A20,3B. B26,7A. AExample 17Toner 17100A. A2,0A. A27,8A. A27,1A. AExample 18Toner 18100A. A3,9B. B26,3A. A22,2B. BExample 19Toner 19100A. A7,2C. C26,5A. A17,8C. CExample 20Toner 20100A. A2,0A. A23,9B. B25,9A. AComparative Example 1Comparative Toner 1100A. A9,2C. C25,2A. A14,2D. DComparative Example 2Comparative Toner 2100A. A11,5D. D25,1A. A13,2D. DComparative Example 3Comparative Toner 3100A. A2,8A. A13,8D. D25,1A. AComparative Example 4Comparative Toner 4100A. A10,9D. D13,8D. D22,2B. BComparative Example 5Comparative Toner 5100A. A13,2D. D14,2D. D21,7B. BWhile the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be construed as broadly as possible to include all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.References included in the specificationThis list of documents cited by the applicant has been produced in an automated manner and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent application or utility model application. The DPMA does not take any adhesion for any faults or omissions.Patent Literature citedWO 2013 / 047296

[0004] JP 2014-142632 [0007, 0009]JP 2022-144501 [0007, 0008, 0009]JP 2014

[0008] JP 142632

[0008]

Claims

A toner comprising a toner particle comprising a crystalline resin A and an amorphous resin B, wherein a weight average particle size of the toner is 4.0 to 10.0 μm; when a cross section of the toner is observed with a scanning transmission electron microscope, a domain-matrix structure in which a domain is dispersed in a matrix is observed in the cross section, the matrix comprises the crystalline resin A, the domain comprises the amorphous resin B, (a) when the domain having a major axis of 300 nm or more is defined as domain C and the domain having a major axis of 200 nm or less is defined as domain D, a number average major axis of the domain D is 30 to 150 nm, and (b) a portion of the cross section satisfying the following two items i) and ii), The amount of the domain C is at least 90% by number, (i) 5 to 20 domains C per a cross section of a toner particle are present, and an area ratio of the domain C is 10 to 30% of the area with respect to an area of the cross section, (ii) the domain D is observed over an entire area of an area except for the domain C in the cross section.The toner according to claim 1, wherein, among the cross section, a proportion of the cross section in which the area ratio of the domain C is 15 to 25% of the area relative to the area of the cross section is 90% or more.The toner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when a domain among the domains C having a major axis of 400 nm or more is defined as domain E, a proportion of the cross section at which 4 to 20 domains E are present per one toner particle is 90% by number or more.The toner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the number-average major axis of the domain D is 50 to 100 nm.The toner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a number of the domains D present in each 1 μm square region except for the domains C is 100 or more.The toner according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the crystalline resin A has a monomer unit represented by the formula (1): in the formula (1), R 4 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, and n represents an integer of 15 to 35.The toner according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the crystalline resin A has a monomer unit having a lactam structure.The toner according to claim 7, wherein the lactam structure is a 5-membered lactam structure.The toner according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the toner comprises a releasing agent, the releasing agent comprises a polyfunctional ester wax, the polyfunctional ester wax is at least one ester compound selected from the group consisting of ester compounds of tetrahydro- to octahydric alcohols and aliphatic monocarboxylic acids, and ester compounds of tetravalent to tetravalent carboxylic acids and aliphatic monohydric alcohols.The toner according to claim 9, wherein the polyfunctional ester wax is at least one ester compound selected from the group consisting of ester compounds of hexahydric to octahydric alcohols and aliphatic monocarboxylic acids and ester compounds of hexahydric to octahydric carboxylic acids and aliphatic monohydric alcohols.The toner according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the amorphous resin B has a monomer unit represented by the formula (2): in the formula (2), R 5 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, and m represents an integer of 3 to 35.