Patent ID: 7591551

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: a head unit having a discharge nozzle for discharging an ink wherein the head unit discharges the ink from the discharge nozzle to print an image on a recording sheet; a conveyance unit confronting the head unit and conveying the sheet in a movement direction to a position where the sheet confronts the head unit, the conveyance unit comprises a conveyance belt wound around at least two rollers; a charging unit provided in the conveyance unit and configured to receive a first AC bias voltage and apply a charge, based on the first AC bias voltage, to a surface of the conveyance belt; a charge eliminating unit configured to receive a second AC bias voltage and eliminate charge of a printing surface of the recording sheet, the charge eliminating unit being disposed at a position on a downstream side of the charging unit in the movement direction of the conveyance unit and on an upstream side of the head unit; and an AC bias supplying unit configured to supply said first and second AC bias voltages at selected timings; wherein the charge eliminating unit is disposed on a downstream side of a position where the recording sheet is conveyed along a curvature of each of said at least two rollers by the conveyance belt, in the movement direction of the conveyance unit.