An image forming apparatus comprising: an image carrier (61M,61Y,61C,61K) on which a latent image is capable of being formed; and a developer carrier (64M,64Y,64C,64K) for developing the latent image formed on the image carrier as a toner image, wherein the developer carrier is capable of contacting or separating from the image carrier and developing a latent image on the image carrier to form a toner image by contacting the image carrier, and control means for controlling a contact operation to put the image carrier and the developer carrier in contact, characterized in that the image forming apparatus further comprises: a detection means for detecting a toner image obtained upon starting a detection-related contact operation to put the image carrier and the developer carrier in contact while operating the developer carrier in a separation state in which the image carrier and the developer carrier are separated, and a control timer for measuring a length of time from a predetermined timing based on a signal for starting the detection-related contact operation, while operating the developer carrier in the separation state, until the toner image is detected by the detection means, and the control means is capable of, before start of an image forming operation of forming a toner image based on an image signal, adjusting at least one of a start timing and a speed of the contact operation, which is to be performed in the image forming operation, based on the length of time measured by the control timer based on the detection-related contact operation. an image carrier (61M,61Y,61C,61K) on which a latent image is capable of being formed; and a developer carrier (64M,64Y,64C,64K) for developing the latent image formed on the image carrier as a toner image, wherein the developer carrier is capable of contacting or separating from the image carrier and developing a latent image on the image carrier to form a toner image by contacting the image carrier, and control means for controlling a contact operation to put the image carrier and the developer carrier in contact, characterized in that the image forming apparatus further comprises: a detection means for detecting a toner image obtained upon starting a detection-related contact operation to put the image carrier and the developer carrier in contact while operating the developer carrier in a separation state in which the image carrier and the developer carrier are separated, and a control timer for measuring a length of time from a predetermined timing based on a signal for starting the detection-related contact operation, while operating the developer carrier in the separation state, until the toner image is detected by the detection means, and a detection means for detecting a toner image obtained upon starting a detection-related contact operation to put the image carrier and the developer carrier in contact while operating the developer carrier in a separation state in which the image carrier and the developer carrier are separated, and a control timer for measuring a length of time from a predetermined timing based on a signal for starting the detection-related contact operation, while operating the developer carrier in the separation state, until the toner image is detected by the detection means, and the control means is capable of, before start of an image forming operation of forming a toner image based on an image signal, adjusting at least one of a start timing and a speed of the contact operation, which is to be performed in the image forming operation, based on the length of time measured by the control timer based on the detection-related contact operation.