Patent ID: 7366429

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: a toner image forming device, which forms an ordinary toner image and a toner pattern on a recording material moving through a toner image forming area; a first containing portion, which contains a recording material having an image formed on one side of the recording material; a first conveying path, which conveys the recording material in the first containing portion to the toner image forming area; a second containing portion, which contains the recording material passed through the toner image forming area; a second conveying path, which conveys the recording material from the toner image forming area to the second containing portion; a third conveying path, which conveys the recording material in the second containing portion to the toner image forming area, wherein a direction in which the recording material conveyed by the third conveying path is moved through the toner image forming area is the same as a direction in which the recording material conveyed by the first conveying path is moved through the toner image forming area; and executing means for executing a toner pattern forming mode in which the recording material in the first containing portion is conveyed to the toner image forming area to form the toner pattern superimposed on the image on the recording material, and thereafter the recording material is conveyed to the second containing portion, and an ordinary toner image forming mode in which the recording material having the toner pattern formed thereon is conveyed from the second containing portion to the toner image forming area to form the ordinary toner image on a side of the recording material opposite to a side on which the toner pattern is formed.