Provided is an image forming apparatus including an intermediate transfer body; a secondary transfer section; a conveyance section; a first detection section; a second detection section that is arranged downstream of the first detection section in a conveyance direction of a medium; and a control section that performs control for changing a conveyance speed of the medium by the conveyance section to a first speed based on timing of detection of the medium by the first detection section and a position of the image on the intermediate transfer body at that time point and changing the conveyance speed of the medium by the conveyance section to a second speed equal to the traveling speed of the intermediate transfer body based on timing of detection of the medium by the second detection section and the position of the image on the intermediate transfer body at that time point.

A conveyance device includes a guide, a positioner, and a pusher. The guide extends in a longitudinal direction of an image bearer and is disposed upstream from a transfer position, at which an image is transferred from the image bearer to the recording medium, in a direction of conveyance of a recording medium to guide the recording medium. The positioner positions an end of the guide relative to the image bearer. The pusher contacts the guide at a position closer to a center of the guide than the end of the guide in the longitudinal direction, to push the guide toward the image bearer.

An image forming apparatus includes a belt-shaped image bearer, a transferer, a guide, two rotators, and a support. The image bearer has an image bearing surface to bear an image thereon. The transferer forms a transfer section between the transferer and the image bearer, to transfer the image onto a recording medium. The guide is disposed upstream from the transfer section in a delivery direction of the recording medium, to guide the recording medium toward the transfer section. The two rotators are disposed upstream from the transfer section in a moving direction of the image bearer and in contact with a non-image bearing surface of the image bearer opposite to the image bearing surface, a first rotator being closer to the transfer section than a second rotator. The support supports the first rotator and the guide and adjusts a position of the first rotator and a position of the guide.

A transport device includes a powder applying device and a guidance member. The powder applying device is provided in a guide path through which a sheet is guided toward an image holding body holding a toner image to be transferred onto the sheet, and applies powder to end portions of the sheet in a transport direction. The guidance member is provided on a side facing the powder applying device in the guide path, and guides the sheet being transported through the guide path to the powder applying device.

The present invention provides an image forming apparatus that reduces image artifacts caused by the back tension of a separating unit. A control unit decreases the number of rotations (the rotational speed) of a resist roller pair after the leading edge of a sheet reaches a transfer position.

A sheet transport device includes a transport unit that transports a sheet, an endless belt that transmits a driving force from a motor to the transport unit, a rotary member that rotates by being pressed by the sheet transported by the transport unit, and a sensor that generates a signal in accordance with rotation of the rotary member. The rotary member is arranged in such a manner that a portion of the rotary member faces an inner peripheral portion of the endless belt.

An image forming apparatus includes: a transport unit that transports a recording medium having an image formation surface whose height changes from a front end toward a rear end; a transfer unit that transfers an image onto the image formation surface of the recording medium transported by the transport unit by making contact with the image formation surface; and a support unit that supports the recording medium without hindering contact of the transfer unit with the image formation surface and is transported together with the recording medium by the transport unit.

An image forming apparatus includes a reading unit with a fixed reading position and configured to read a first image on a sheet and detect a position of the first image. A toner image transfer unit is configured to transfer a toner pattern to the sheet at a fixed transfer position. The toner pattern corresponds to a second image to be disposed on the sheet with the first image. The toner image transfer unit is downstream of the reading unit along the sheet feeding path. A control unit calculates a timing for transfer of the toner pattern to the sheet according to the detected position of the first image on the sheet and controls the toner image transfer unit according to the calculated timing.

A transfer unit includes a seamless transfer belt, a plurality of transfer rollers, a backup roller, a plurality of pairs of first bearing holders, a pair of second bearing holders and a pair of sliders. Each of the sliders is reciprocated such that each of the first bearing holders slides on the corresponding one of the first step ribs to be reciprocated in a direction toward and away from the transfer belt and the second bearing holder slides on the second step rib to be reciprocated in the direction toward and away from the transfer belt. The first step rib arranged most upstream in the direction of travel of the transfer belt and the second step rib are arranged side by side in the axial direction of the transfer roller, and overlap each other when viewed in the axial direction.

An image forming apparatus for forming a toner image on a sheet subjected to perforation processing, wherein the sheet includes a projected portion generating at a periphery of a hole formed by the perforation processing, the image forming includes a stacking potien-portion on which the sheet is stacked, a feeding path along which the sheet stacked on the stacking portion is fed, an image forming unit configured to form the toner image on an image bearing member, a transfer unit configured to transfer the toner image from the image bearing member onto the sheet fed to the feeding path, and a display configured to display guidance on a placing direction of the sheet depending on a surface where the projected portion of the sheet to be placed on the stacking portion generates.