To develop an easily deinkable toner for office copiers and laser printers, a series of homo- and copolyamide toner resins were synthesized via condensation polymerization of a soy-based dimer acid, 1,4-phenylenediamine, and L-tyrosine (an alpha-amino acid). The thermal properties of the resins were examined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). It was found that the glass transition temperature (T-g), melting point (T-m), decomposition temperature (T-d), and crystallinity of the copolyamides; were remarkably decreased as the content of L-tyrosine was increased. By using both homo- and copolyamides as binders, respectively, two dual-component toners were developed. The triboelectrical charge, particle size, and particle-size distribution of these toners were examined. The printing trials demonstrated that the images of the soy-based toners are similar to those of commercially available toners. However, because of the low crystallinity and high water-uptake ability of the amino acid-containing polyamide, the copolymer is swellable in an alkaline solution. Initial results from flotation deinking suggest that the amino acid-containing toners are more easily deinked, likely due to their high swellability.