Patent ID: 6983121

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image carrier configured to carry a color image thereon; an elastic transfer member configured to contact said image carrier to thereby form a nip for electrostatically transferring the color image from said image carrier to a recording medium, and to cause said recording medium being conveyed toward said nip to contact said image carrier and then enter said nip; a first guide member configured to guide one side of the recording medium expected to receive the color image to said nip, and including, in a portion thereof contacting the recording medium other than a leading and a trailing edge of said recording medium in a direction of conveyance in which said recording medium is conveyed while guiding said recording medium, a first restriction point located at a most downstream side in said direction of conveyance; and a second guide member configured to guide the other side of the recording medium to said nip, and including, in a portion thereof contacting the recording medium other than the leading and the trailing edge in the direction of conveyance while guiding said recording medium, a second restriction point located at a most downstream side in said direction and downstream of said first restriction point; wherein said first guide member and said second guide member are positioned such that said first restriction point is positioned at an opposite side to said image carrier with respect to a reference line connecting said second restriction point and an upstream end of said nip in the direction of conveyance.