Patent ID: 8422037

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: a transfer unit configured to transfer a visible image onto a recording sheet and a fixing unit configured to fix the visible image on the recording sheet by heating the recording sheet the transfer unit including, an image carrier that includes a first rotating shaft and is rotatable around the first rotating shaft, or that has a belt-shape and is wound around a belt support unit that includes a second rotating shaft and is rotatable around the second rotating shaft; a contact unit configured to come in contact with a surface of the image carrier, a biasing unit to apply a biasing force to either one of the image carrier and the contact unit to be brought into contact with another one of the image carrier and the contact unit, a thickness-information acquiring unit to acquire thickness information of the recording sheet, and a distance adjusting unit to adjust an inter-unit distance between the contact unit and either one of the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft by moving the either one of the image carrier and the contact unit by applying an opposing force to the either one of the image carrier and the contact unit against the biasing force based on the thickness information; and a data storage unit to store data indicating a relationship between the thickness information and an inter-unit distance change amount, the inter-unit distance change amount being a change in the inter-unit distance when a state where the distance adjusting unit does not apply the opposing force against the biasing force and the recording sheet is not fed into a nip between the image carrier and the contact unit is shifted to a state where the recording sheet is passed through the nip without the distance adjusting unit applying the opposing force against the biasing force, wherein the distance adjusting unit adjusts the inter-unit distance based on the thickness information and the data stored in the data storage unit to transfer the visible image formed on the surface of the image carrier onto the recording sheet passed through the nip.