Patent ID: 8078071

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image bearing member onto which images are formed; a plurality of developing devices which sequentially form images of different respective colors onto the image bearing member, and which have developers of the different respective colors; a transfer unit which transfers the images of the different respective colors formed on the image bearing member by the plurality of developing devices onto a transfer member or a recording medium; a detecting unit which detects a use amount of each of the plurality of developing devices every time a series of the images are formed, and determines a total use amount by adding the detected use amount to a previous total use amount of the plurality of developing devices; and a control unit which compares the total use amount of a first developing device and a second developing device of the plurality of developing devices detected by the detecting unit, and then switches the order of forming the images such that, after the one of the first and the second developing devices having a lesser total use amount forms an image, the other developing device having a greater total use amount forms an image.