Patent ID: 7040825

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit which forms an image on one surface of a printing medium; a platen; a feeding device which transports the printing medium in a feed direction along the platen while the other surface of the printing medium faces a surface of the platen; and a suction device which sucks air, wherein: the platen includes: first protrusions which protrude from the surface of the platen and extend in parallel with the feed direction and are arranged at predetermined intervals in a direction perpendicular to the feed direction; recesses which are defined between adjacent ones of the first protrusions and extend in the feed direction; second protrusions which protrude from the surface of the platen and are provided on downstream and upstream sides, respectively, in the feed direction with respect to an image forming region where the image forming unit forms an image, and extend in the direction perpendicular to the feed direction; and suction ports which are defined on both the downstream and upstream sides, respectively, in the feed direction with respect to the image forming region in each of recesses surrounded by the adjacent ones of the first protrusions and the second protrusions on the upstream side and the downstream side, and communicate with the suction device, wherein the image forming unit includes a carriage which moves the recording head forward and backward in a predetermined direction; and the suction ports are provided outside a region where the carriage has substantially the same height as the nozzle surface of the recording head.