Patent ID: 6873350

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: scanning means for scanning a photosensitive body using a plurality of semiconductor lasers to form a latent image; and latent image forming means for pulse-width-modulating a drive signal of the semiconductor lasers in accordance with a write position of the latent image in the case that exposure is performed such that one beam from the plurality of semiconductor lasers is partially overlapped with an adjacent beam from the plurality of semiconductor lasers on the photosensitive body, wherein said latent image forming means does not pulse-width-modulate the drive signal in the case that at least two of the plurality of semiconductor lasers are simultaneously turned on in one scanning, and wherein the latent image forming means pulse-width-modulates the drive signal in the case that one beam from the plurality of semiconductor lasers which is turned on in one scanning is adjacent to one beam from the plurality of semiconductor lasers which is turned on in the next scanning.