Patent ID: 8335465

Claim:
An image forming apparatus configured for operation in a horizontal orientation and laterally dividable in a horizontal direction into a first portion and a second portion, the image forming apparatus comprising: a first image forming section, positioned in the first portion, for forming an image on paper; a second image forming section, positioned in the second portion, for forming an image on paper independently of the first image forming section; a first paper feeding section for feeding paper to each of the first and second image forming sections, the first paper feeding section positioned directly below the first image forming section in the first portion in a vertical direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction; a first paper output section for outputting paper on which an image is formed in each of the first and second image forming sections, the first paper output section positioned directly above the second image forming section in the vertical direction; a second paper output section positioned directly above the first image forming section; a first transport path for transporting paper from the first paper feeding section to the first image forming section; a second transport path for transporting paper from the first paper feeding section to the second image forming section; a third transport path, connected to the first transport path, for transporting paper from the first image forming section to the first paper output section; and a fourth transport path, connected to the second transport path, for transporting paper from the second image forming section to the first paper output section, wherein: the first image forming section is a black-and-white image forming section; the second image forming section is a color image forming section; the first transport path is arranged near a boundary between the first and second portions and in the first portion in the vertical direction; the second transport path is arranged from the first portion to the second portion over the boundary; the third transport path is arranged from the first portion to the second portion over the boundary; the fourth transport path is arranged near the boundary and in the second portion in the vertical direction; and the first to fourth transport paths do not include an intersection or detour.