An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit to form an image on a sheet, a conveyance guide unit, and a conveyance unit. The conveyance guide unit conveys the sheet on which the image is to be formed by the image forming unit. The conveyance unit conveys the sheet toward a first conveyance guide unit. The conveyance guide unit includes an urging member, a rotary member to be urged by the urging member and to rotate while abutting the sheet, a holding unit holding the urging member and the rotary member, and the first conveyance guide unit that is detachably attached to the holding unit to guide the sheet. The first conveyance guide unit includes a pressed portion, and the pressed portion is to be pressed by the sheet conveyed by the conveyance unit and has strength less than strength of the holding unit.

An image forming apparatus includes: as a conveyance to convey an object formed with an image, an upstream-side conveyance path; an intermediate conveyance path connected to a downstream end part of the upstream-side conveyance path via a first bent part; and a downstream-side conveyance path connected to the intermediate conveyance path via a second bent part, wherein the second bent part is bent to a side opposite to the first bent part, on an inner side of a bend of the first bent part, a friction reducing part capable of abutting with the object conveyed in the first bent part is provided, and the intermediate conveyance path includes: a pair of guide parts forming the intermediate conveyance path; and a friction reducing part that is provided on both a pair of the guide parts and is capable of abutting with the object conveyed between a pair of the guide parts.

A medium transport unit includes an upstream route in which a print sheet is transported, a first switchback route, a second switchback route, a first guide route, a second guide route, a guide flap configured to switch the route so that the print sheet in the upstream route is transported either toward the first guide route or toward the second guide route, a first discharge route from which the print sheet in the first switchback route is discharged, a second discharge route from which the print sheet in the second switchback route is discharged, and a downstream route passing between the first switchback route and the second switchback route and having an upstream end connected to a junction of downstream ends of the first discharge route and the second discharge route.

A switching device for switching transport directions of a recording medium includes a switching member and at least one rotation stopper. The switching member is configured to switch transport paths of the recording medium. The at least one rotation stopper is configured to hit the switching member to stop rotation of the switching member. The at least one rotation stopper is disposed asymmetrically in a direction perpendicular to a transport direction in which the switching member transports the recording medium.

A drum frame includes a first regulating portion located between a transfer nip and a downstream end of a conveyance surface in a conveyance direction. The first regulating portion faces the conveyance surface from above the conveyance surface. The first regulating portion includes a first horizontal portion and a pair of first inclined portions. The first horizontal portion extends in a width direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction. The pair of first inclined portions extends from both ends of the first horizontal portion in the width direction. Each first inclined portion has one end adjacent to the first horizontal portion and an other end away from the one end in the width direction. Each first inclined portion is inclined to be closer to an endless belt from the one end toward the other end. The pair of first inclined portions contact both ends of a sheet in the width direction.

A sheet processing apparatus includes a first sheet conveyance path, a second sheet conveyance path that branches from the first sheet conveyance path at a branch portion on the first sheet conveyance path and merges with the first sheet conveyance path at a merging portion, and a control unit. The control unit controls a guide unit so as to guide a first sheet conveyed first in the sheet bundle to be processed by a sheet processing unit to the second sheet conveyance path, and guide a second sheet following the first sheet to the first sheet conveyance path to merge the first and second sheets in an overlapping manner at the merging portion, and guide at least one of sheets following the second sheet among a plurality of sheets constituting the sheet bundle to the second sheet conveyance path.

A medium transport unit includes an upstream route in which a print sheet is transported, a first switchback route, a second switchback route, a first guide route, a second guide route, a guide flap configured to switch the route so that the print sheet in the upstream route is transported either toward the first guide route or toward the second guide route, a first discharge route from which the print sheet in the first switchback route is discharged, a second discharge route from which the print sheet in the second switchback route is discharged, and a downstream route passing between the first switchback route and the second switchback route and having an upstream end connected to a junction of downstream ends of the first discharge route and the second discharge route.

An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit that transports a sheet of paper carrying an unfixed image through a nip part to fix the unfixed image to the sheet, the nip part applying heat and pressure to the sheet, a first guide unit that guides transport of the sheet, the first guide unit coming into contact with a first side of the sheet leaving the nip part of the fixing unit, and a second guide unit that guides transport of the sheet, the second guide unit coming into contact with a second side of the sheet leaving the nip part of the fixing unit, the second guide unit being rotatable, the second side being opposite to the first side. The first guide unit has a guide part. The guide part includes an upstream guide part disposed upstream with respect to a sheet transport direction, and a bent guide part that is bent at an endpoint position of the upstream guide part in a direction of entry into a sheet transport passage relative to the upstream guide part. At least one portion of the second guide unit is disposed to face the bent guide part such that the at least one portion of the second guide unit is positioned within an area corresponding to a portion of the bent guide part from an upstream end to a downstream end with respect to the sheet transport direction, with a space being provided between the at least one portion of the second guide unit and the bent guide part to allow passage of the sheet.

In an image forming apparatus, a conveyance section forms a conveyance path and conveys a sheet in a conveyance direction. The conveyance section includes a conveyance roller for rotating around a roller shaft extending in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction, and a guide member. The guide member includes a first guide member for rotating around a first axial line to open/close with respect to a first partial region of the conveyance path, and a second guide member for rotating around a second axial line to open/close with respect to a second partial region different from the first partial region. The first axial line extends in a direction parallel to a longitudinal direction of the roller shaft. The second axial line extends in a direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction. The first guide member opens in conjunction with an opening action of the second guide member.

A guide structure includes a first guide member that guides a recording medium from a fixing unit to a transport roller unit, the fixing unit fixing an image formed on the recording medium to the recording medium by heating the recording medium that is transported, the transport roller unit transporting the recording medium; and a second guide member that comes into contact with the recording medium to which the image has been fixed by the fixing unit and guides the recording medium to the transport roller unit, the second guide member being disposed downstream of the first guide member in a transporting direction in which the recording medium is transported and being made of a material having a thermal conductivity higher than a thermal conductivity of a material of the first guide member.