In an image forming apparatus using electrophotographic methods, toner may be supplied to an electrostatic latent image formed on an image receptor so as to form a visual toner image. The visual toner image may be transferred onto a sheet, and the image may be fused onto the sheet using a fusing device that uses heat or pressure. The fusing device may use a fusing nip, which may be formed by engaging a heating roller or a heating belt with a pressuring roller. A sheet may be passed through the fusing nip so that toner may be melted and fused onto the sheet. Alternatively, the fusing device may use light from a light source, which is directly emitted to a sheet so that toner may be melted and fused onto the sheet.
The fusing performance of the toner may be closely related to the heat absorbance of the toner. For example, when the toner is fused using a light source as a heater, the absorbance of the toner with respect to optical energy affects the fusing performance of the toner. That is, as the optical absorbance of the toner increases, the warm-up time may be reduced, and power consumption of the image forming apparatus may also be reduced.
In order to increase the optical absorbance of the toner, a light absorber may be added to the toner. However, a general light absorber absorbs some of the light having wavelengths in the visible ray range, thereby adversely affecting the reproducibility of color of the toner. Thus, there remains a need in the art for new and improved electrographic toners having improved optical properties.