Patent ID: 7358981

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: a recording intermediate belt which does not have an end obtained by coupling two ends of a belt body of a band shape; a platen drum and at least one roller around which the recording intermediate belt loops so as to be revolvable; a dyeing layer formation section for forming a dyeing layer on an outer surface of the revolving recording intermediate belt; a plurality of image formation sections which are located downstream of the dyeing layer formation section in the revolving direction of the recording intermediate belt, and which transfer dyes of different colors to the dyeing layer formed on the outer surface of the recording intermediate belt to form a color image; and an image transfer section for transferring the dyeing layer on which an image of the image formation sections is formed to recording paper by thermocompression bonding, wherein the dyeing layer formation section includes a dyeing layer transfer head for transferring the dyeing layer to the outer surface of the recording intermediate belt by thermocompression bonding, the plurality of the image formation sections respectively include recording heads for transferring dyes of respective colors to the dyeing layer formed on the outer surface of the recording intermediate belt, the dyeing layer transfer head and the recording heads are located in equal interval of length P, which is obtained by equally dividing length K of the entire circumference of the recording intermediate belt by n (n is integer), the image formation section is formed, given that the position of a seam of the recording intermediate belt is origin O, to form an image in portions except for portions at origin O and at a distance of 1×P, 2×P, . . . (n−1)×P from origin O.