Patent ID: 6738594
Filing Date: 2004-05-18
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
A color image forming apparatus, comprising:a plurality of image forming devices placed serially in the direction of conveyance of recording sheets; a transfer support which is arranged in abutment with image supports provided in the image forming devices and is separable therefrom, for transferring images from the image supports to a recording sheet; a mode switching means for making a changeover between a monochrome image forming mode for forming images by abutting the transfer support with only an image support of one image forming device of the plural image forming devices and a multi-color image forming mode for forming images by abutting the transfer support with the image supports of the plural image forming devices; and a control means for governing the image forming devices, the image supports, the transfer support and the mode switching means, the control means making a control so that the transfer support can abut only the image forming devices which are actually engaged in image forming, among the plural image forming devices, wherein when the images are formed in the monochrome image forming mode, the transfer support abuts only the image support of the most upstream image forming device in the direction of the conveyance of the recording sheet, and wherein the mode switching means starts the changeover from the monochrome image forming mode to the multi-color image forming mode while the recording sheet remains on the transfer support.