Patent ID: 8131196

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: an endless belt which bears a toner image on an outer surface of the endless belt; a transferring member which forms a nip with the endless belt and transfers the toner image from the endless belt onto a recording material which enters the nip; and a transfer opposed member which contacts an inner surface of the endless belt and opposes the transferring member through the endless belt, wherein the image forming apparatus is operable in a borderless image forming mode in which a toner image is formed to edges of the recording material by forming a toner image larger than a size of the recording material on the endless belt, and transferring a part of the toner image on the endless belt onto the recording material, wherein in a case where a toner image is formed on the endless belt by the borderless image forming mode, a toner image on the endless belt enters the nip before a leading edge of the recording material enters the nip, wherein the transferring member is provided to form a first area that pinches the endless belt with the transfer opposed member, and a second area that contacts the outer surface of the endless belt upstream of the first area in a conveyance direction of the recording material without pinching the endless belt with the transfer opposed member, and wherein the image forming apparatus further comprises: a guide member which guides a leading edge of the recording material to contact a surface of the transferring member upstream of the second area in the conveyance direction of the recording material, wherein the transferring member has a foamed layer and a cover layer, and the cover layer is not foamed and forms the surface of the transferring member.