Patent ID: 8491085

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: plural recording heads that eject liquid droplets onto a recording medium traveling in a medium conveyance direction; and plural maintenance units that correspond to the plural recording heads and have respective cap surfaces that oppose the recording heads, respectively; wherein the plural maintenance units are capable of separately moving between opposed positions opposed to the plural recording heads and retracted positions not opposed to the plural recording heads, the plural maintenance units are retracted into the retracted positions in postures different from opposed postures at the opposed positions opposed to the plural recording heads, the plural maintenance units are retracted into the retracted positions in the retracted postures in which the plural maintenance units are rotated by 90 degrees from the opposed postures at the opposed positions, and the plural maintenance units in the retracted postures at the retracted positions are arranged laterally side by side in parallel where all of the respective cap surfaces of the plural maintenance units are directed in the medium conveyance direction.