Patent ID: 8406643
Filing Date: 2013-03-26
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image formation unit that comprises a rotating photoreceptor, a latent image formation unit that forms an electrostatic latent image of a recorded image on the photoreceptor, a developing unit that develops the electrostatic latent image using a developer, a first transfer unit that transfers the developed image from the photoreceptor to a receiving member, and a second transfer unit that transfers the image on the receiving member to a recording medium at a transfer position; a conveying unit that conveys the recording medium to the transfer position; and a controller that performs control when a belt-shaped image is formed on the photoreceptor, or when the belt-shaped image is not formed the photoreceptor, the belt-shaped image forcefully discharging the developer in the developing unit from the developing unit, the belt-shaped image not being transferred onto the recording medium, the control including: (A) controlling the image forming unit such that formation of an image quality adjusting image that is not transferred to the recording medium starts from a predetermined position in a rotational direction of the photoreceptor, and such that the recorded image is formed further downstream in the rotational direction of the photoreceptor than an image quality adjusting image region in which the image quality adjusting image is formed; and (B) controlling the conveying unit such that the recorded image is transferred onto the recorded medium at the transfer position by the second transfer unit, wherein the control (A) of the controller further includes: virtually setting on the photoreceptor a rectangular image placement region having a size determined in accordance with a size of the recording medium; when forming the recorded image, the image quality adjusting image, and the belt-shaped image in the image placement region, arranging a pair of sides of the image placement region which are orthogonal to the rotational direction, such that the side which is at the upstream side in the rotational direction is substantially aligned with a leading end of the image quality adjusting image region; and forming the belt-shaped image in an empty region that is formed when a trailing end of the recorded image at the downstream side in the rotational direction is substantially aligned with the side of the image placement region which is opposite to the side at the upstream side.