Patent ID: 7383011

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming device configured and positioned to form a toner image on a toner reception resin layer of a recording medium; a conveying device configured and positioned to convey the recording medium set on a setting portion to said image forming device; and a smoothening device configured and positioned to smoothen the toner reception resin layer of the recording medium on which the toner image is formed by said image forming device, said smoothening device including an endless belt for heating the recording medium in a nip portion and a cooling device for cooling the heated recording medium which is in contact with said endless belt before the recording medium is separated from said endless belt, wherein said apparatus is operable in a pre-smoothening mode in which the toner reception resin layer of the recording medium is smoothened by said smoothening device before the toner image is formed on the toner reception resin layer of the recording medium.