Patent ID: 8457537

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image bearing member; an intermediate transfer belt in an endless belt shape configured to carry a toner image transferred from the image bearing member; a transfer counter roller configured to stretch the intermediate transfer belt; a separation roller configured to stretch the intermediate transfer belt at a position downstream of the transfer counter roller in a rotation direction of the intermediate transfer belt and separate a recording material from the intermediate transfer belt; and a transfer roller configured to form a transfer portion in an area from a most upstream portion of an area where the transfer counter roller is in contact with the transfer roller across the intermediate transfer belt to a most downstream portion of an area where the separation roller is in contact with the transfer roller across the intermediate transfer belt in a rotation direction of the intermediate transfer belt, and to transfer the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt to the recording material at the transfer portion, wherein an outer diameter of the separation roller is smaller than an outer diameter of the transfer roller and an outer diameter of the transfer counter roller is larger than the outer diameter of the transfer roller.