Patent ID: 8886069

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: a main body of the image forming apparatus; a sheet stack unit including a stack portion on which sheets are stacked, the stack portion including a part exposed from the main body; an endless intermediate transfer member onto which a toner image is first transferred from an image bearing member; a first transfer member for transferring the toner image from the intermediate transfer member onto the sheets conveyed from the sheet stack unit, at a nip formed between the intermediate transfer member and the first transfer member; a second transfer member opposed to the first transfer member via the intermediate transfer member at the nip; a first voltage applying device that applies a voltage to the first transfer member; and a second voltage applying device that applies a voltage having a polarity opposite to a polarity at the first voltage applying device, to the second transfer member, and a controller that controls the first voltage applying device and the second voltage applying device, wherein in a timing when a leading edge of a first sheet reaches the nip, a trailing edge of the first sheet contacts a second sheet conveyed on said sheet stack unit, and wherein a period in which the controller causes the first voltage applying device and the second voltage applying device to apply the voltages to the first transfer member and the second transfer member, respectively, is at least from a time when secondary transfer of the toner image onto the first sheet is started to a time when the trailing edge of the first sheet stops sliding on the second sheet stacked on the sheet stack portion.