Patent ID: 7567775

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: a transparent image forming unit having a transparent image carrier at which a transparent toner image is formed; a plurality of color image forming units arranged at a downstream side in a process direction of the transparent image forming unit, the color image forming units having color image carriers at which yellow, magenta, and cyan color toner images are formed respectively; a black image forming unit arranged between the transparent image forming unit and the color image forming unit or at the downstream side in the process direction of the color image forming units, the black image forming unit having a black image carrier at which a black toner image is formed; an intermediate transfer member to which the toner images formed on the transparent image carrier, the color image carriers, and the black image carrier, are transferred; a retracting mechanism that brings the transparent image carrier into contact with the intermediate transfer member and separates the transparent image carrier from the intermediate transfer member; and a moving mechanism that brings the intermediate transfer member into contact with the color image carrier and separates the intermediate transfer member from the color image carriers, wherein the retracing mechanism makes the transparent image forming unit move, thereby contacting the transparent image carrier with the intermediate transfer member and separating the transparent image carrier from the intermediate transfer member; and the retracting mechanism and the moving mechanism are not mechanically interconnected with each other.