Patent ID: 8369759

Claim:
A transfer apparatus comprising: a transfer belt that carries an image, and has an elastic layer; a transfer roller that transfers the image from the transfer belt onto a transfer material, has an elastic layer, and forms a transfer nip portion; a backup roller which is opposite to the transfer roller with the transfer belt therebetween, the transfer nip portion including a pressure-contact nip formed in an area where the transfer belt is in contact with the transfer roller and the backup roller by a pressure, and a contact nip formed in an area where the transfer belt is in contact with the transfer roller and is no contact with the backup roller, the pressure-contact nip being located before the contact nip in a moving direction of the transfer material, a length of the contact nip in a rotational direction of the transfer roller being smaller than half a length of the pressure-contact nip in the rotational direction of the transfer roller.