Patent ID: 8272641

Claim:
An image forming apparatus capable of performing single-side and double-side printing on a recording sheet, comprising: a conveyance path; an image forming unit configured to form an image on the recording sheet which is passing through the conveyance path; a fixing unit configured to fix the image being formed by the image forming unit on the recording sheet; a backward conveyance path configured to guide the recording sheet, on which the is image formed on one surface thereof, toward the image forming unit to form the image on the other surface of the recording sheet; a feeder configured to feed the recording sheet at a timing at which a predetermined interval is formed between plural recording sheets respectively such that the recording sheets are present on the conveyance path and/or the backward conveyance path; a first conveyance unit configured to convey the recording sheet selectively in an eject mode or in a switchback conveyance mode, wherein in the eject mode, the recording sheet on which the image is fixed is ejected to an outside of the apparatus on a downstream side of the fixing unit in a conveyance direction of the recording sheet, and wherein in the switchback conveyance mode, the conveyance direction of the recording sheet in which the image is formed on one surface thereof is switched backward on the downstream side of the fixing unit and then the recording sheet is conveyed toward the backward conveyance path; a first driver configured to drive the first conveyance unit; a second conveyance unit configured to convey the recording sheet, which is conveyed by the first conveyance unit in the switchback conveyance mode toward the backward conveyance path, to the image forming unit through the backward conveyance path; a second driver configured to drive the second conveyance unit; and a drive controller configured to: control the first driver such that a conveyance velocity of the recording sheet conveyed by the first conveyance unit in the eject mode is set to a first conveyance velocity; control the first driver such that the conveyance velocity of the recording sheet conveyed by the first conveyance unit in the switchback conveyance mode is initially set to a second conveyance velocity that is higher than the first conveyance velocity; and control the first driver such that the conveyance velocity of the recording sheet conveyed by the first conveyance unit in the switchback conveyance mode is set to a third conveyance velocity that is higher than the first conveyance velocity and lower than the second conveyance velocity, before the recording sheet reaches the second conveyance unit.