Patent ID: 8457536

Claim:
A transfer device, comprising: a pair of rollers; a rotatable intermediate transfer belt wound around and stretched between the pair of rollers to face a plurality of image bearing members for bearing toner images; a plurality of transfer members, each facing a respective one of the plurality of the image bearing members through the intermediate transfer belt, to transfer overlappingly the toner images onto the intermediate transfer belt to form a composite toner image thereon; a lubricant applicator disposed upstream from the plurality of the image bearing members in a direction of rotation of the intermediate transfer belt and the lubricant applicator being on the same plane on which the plurality of the image bearing members is disposed, to apply a lubricant to the intermediate transfer belt; an opposing member disposed opposite the lubricant applicator through the intermediate transfer belt, to contact the intermediate transfer belt against the lubricant applicator; and a pressure member disposed upstream from the plurality of the image bearing members and downstream from the lubricant applicator in the direction of rotation of the intermediate transfer belt, to press against the intermediate transfer belt, wherein the pressure member presses against an outer circumference of the intermediate transfer belt, the outer circumference is the same surface to which the lubricant is applied.