Patent ID: 7787006

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: a first exposure light source and a second exposure light source configured to form a latent image on an image carrier by dot exposure; a storage unit configured to store image data for printing an image for adjustment; an adjusting unit configured to adjust an amount of light from said first exposure light source and an amount of light from said second exposure light source by using a pattern image for adjustment in an adjustment process; and a control unit configured to control a light emission intensity of said first exposure light source and a light emission intensity of said second exposure light source so as to render the amounts of light adjusted by said adjusting unit, said adjusting unit comprising: a pattern image forming unit, in the adjustment process, configured to determine a plurality of ratios based on a change in relative amounts of the light emission intensity of said first exposure light source and the light emission intensity of said second exposure light source, and to form said pattern image comprising, for each said ratio of the plurality of ratios, a first area comprising only first isolated dots created by said first exposure light source repeating on and off on a dot-by-dot basis and a second area comprising only second isolated dots created by said second exposure light source repeating on and off on a dot-by-dot basis, and a deciding unit configured to decide an adjustment ratio based on a difference between a density of said first area and a density of said second area for each said ratio, wherein said control unit controls said light emission intensity of said first exposure light source and said light emission intensity of said second exposure light source based on said adjustment ratio.