Patent ID: 6768891
Filing Date: 2004-07-27
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
An image forming apparatus, comprising:a belt-formed member supported by a plurality of supporting rollers, the belt-formed member comprising a belt-formed latent image bearing member; a plurality of opposing members arranged side by side in a line to oppose said belt-formed member and to contact or in close proximity to said belt-formed member, each of the plurality of opposing members comprising a developer bearing member configured to develop said latent image formed on said latent image bearing member; a separation device configured to change a position such that said latent image bearing member and a part of said plurality of developer bearing members, contacting or in close proximity each other, are separated; an image forming mode selectable between a single color mode to form a single color image and a multicolor mode to form a multicolor image by superimposing a plurality of manes of different colors on each other; and a control device configured to control the separation device so that the opposing members used for the multicolor image formation and the belt-formed member oppose each other while image data of each of the different colors is being bit-mapped in the multicolor mode after having been switched from the single color mode.