Patent ID: 8197056

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: a recording head including a plurality of head units to discharge liquid droplets onto a recording medium, each of the plurality of head units having a plurality of nozzles through which liquid droplets are discharged; a conveyance member to convey the recording medium in a conveyance direction substantially perpendicular to a head-unit array direction in which the plurality of head units are arranged; and a guide member including a plurality of ribs of at least two, first and second, types having different heights, the guide member being disposed opposite and below the recording head so as to guide the recording medium, wherein the first type of ribs having a height greater than a height of the second type of ribs are disposed opposite and below areas where the plurality of head units overlap in the head-unit array direction, wherein each rib of the plurality of ribs of the guide member disposed below the recording head has a top end and a bottom end, with the top end being closer than the bottom end to the recording head, wherein the top end of a rib of the first type is closer than the top end of a rib of the second type to the recording head, and wherein the first type of ribs and the second type of ribs are formed in parallel to a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the plurality of nozzles is arranged in line in each of the plurality of head units.