Patent ID: 8494405

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: a body housing; an image carrying member supported in the body housing and forming a visible image by a developing agent; a transfer unit comprising a driving roller supported in the body housing and an intermediate transfer belt rotated by the driving roller in a first direction, the visible image on the image carrying member being intermediately transferred to the intermediate transfer belt when a printing process is conducted on a recording medium; a cleaning blade having an end portion keeping in contact with the intermediate transfer belt and cleaning a remaining developing agent on the intermediate transfer belt rotating in the first direction; a drive unit to rotatively drive the driving roller; and a control unit to control the drive unit to rotate the intermediate transfer belt in a second direction to the first direction, the second direction being opposite to the first direction, for a preset period of time before the visible image is intermediately transferred and to rotate the intermediate transfer belt in the first direction so that the visible image is intermediately transferred when the printing process starts, wherein the preset period of time is provided so that the end portion of the cleaning blade is restored to the original shape from the state that at least part of the end portion of the cleaning blade is rolled to the intermediate transfer belt in the first direction.