Patent ID: 7558497

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: a development unit containing toners in a plurality of colors, including a photoreceptor, and developing each of toner images, color by color, on the photoreceptor, an intermediate transporter onto which each of the toner images is primarily transferred from the development unit, color by color, by bringing the intermediate transporter into pressure contact with the photoreceptor of the development unit, a secondary-transfer unit placed so as to be capable of being brought into pressure contact with and being spaced apart from the intermediate transporter, where the toner images are secondarily transferred collectively from the intermediate transporter onto recording material by bringing the secondary-transfer unit into pressure contact with the intermediate transporter, a cleaner unit placed so as to be capable of being brought into pressure contact with and being spaced apart from the intermediate transporter, where the toners remaining on the intermediate transporter are removed by bringing the cleaner unit into pressure contact with the intermediate transporter, and a control unit controlling magnitude of a primary-transfer pressure contact force exerted between the photoreceptor and the intermediate transporter on basis of whether at least one of the secondary-transfer unit and the cleaner unit is in pressure contact with the intermediate transporter or not.