Patent ID: 7310487

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: an image carrier, adapted to support a toner image thereon; a circulating intermediate transfer member, brought into contact with the image carrier to form a primary transfer position at which the toner image is transferred onto the intermediate transfer member to perform a primary transfer; a secondary transfer member, brought into contact with the intermediate transfer member to form a secondary transfer position at which the toner image on the intermediate transfer member is transferred onto a recording medium passing therebetween, to perform a secondary transfer; a gate roller pair, adapted to nip the recording medium therebetween at a nipping position and to convey the nipped recording medium toward the secondary transfer position; and a cleaning blade, retractably brought into contact with the intermediate transfer member to scrape off toner remaining on the intermediate transfer member, wherein: a conveyance speed of the recording medium at the nipping position is faster than a conveyance speed of the recording medium at the secondary transfer position; and the cleaning blade is retracted from the intermediate transfer member until when a trailing end of the recording medium passes through the nipping position, in a case where the recording medium has a stiffness greater than a prescribed level.