US Patent 7662532 Image forming method and image forming apparatus

An image forming method including forming an image of a toner on a receiving material; and fixing the toner image on the receiving upon application of heat and pressure thereto, wherein the weight average particle diameter (D4) of the toner is from 2.0 to 4.5 μm, the pressure (P) is not greater than 15 N/cm2, P×D4 is not less than 30 N/cm2·μm, the melt viscosity (Gw110) of the toner at 110° C. is from 3,000 to 40,000 Pa·s, the melt viscosity (Gw140) of the toner at 140° C. is from 100 to 1,000 Pa·s, and the ratio Gw110/Gw140 is not less than 30.