A toner formulation is disclosed comprising a binder and an IR absorbing black pigment at a concentration of 0.25-2.0% by weight, including one or more infrared transmissive pigments, wherein the infrared transmissive pigments are configured to provide a black color. Such toner formulation may provide a response to a toner patch sensor to indicate a mass per unit area of 0.1-1.5 mg/cm.sup.2 or a reflectance relative to a substrate to define a reflectance ratio that varies relative to L* values for the toner over the range L*=0-50 or a bulk reflectivity of greater than 6.0% for a portion of the wavelength range of 850-2000 nanometers.