Patent ID: 7245864

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image bearing member for bearing a toner image; an intermediate transfer belt to which the toner image is transferred, a loss tangent of said intermediate transfer belt being tan δ1, said intermediate transfer belt having a plurality of layers including a rubber layer; primary transferring means for transferring the toner image borne on said image bearing member to said intermediate transfer belt; secondary transferring means for transferring the toner image borne on said intermediate transfer belt to a recording medium; and a blade member of which an edge contacts with said intermediate transfer belt and removes toner residual on said intermediate transfer belt after the toner image has been transferred from said intermediate transfer belt to the recording medium, and a loss tangent of said blade member being tan δ2, a line pressure of said blade member against said intermediate transfer belt being N (g/cm), and said blade member having a layer of a polyurethane resin hardened by being immersed in isocyanate, wherein the loss tangent tan δ1 is measured by use of a first test piece formed by cutting off a portion of said intermediate transfer belt, said first test piece having said plurality of layers including said rubber layer, said first test piece includes a surface contacting with said blade member, wherein the loss tangent tan δ2 is measured by use of a second test piece formed by cutting off a portion of said blade member, said second test piece having said hardened layer, said second test piece includes said edge contacting with said intermediate transfer belt, and two surfaces forming said edge, and wherein the following relations are satisfied: 0.05≦tan δ1≦0.40, 0.15≦tan δ2≦0.40, 20<N<60, and 0.25≦tan δ1+tan δ2≦0.65.