Patent ID: 8706014

Claim:
A fixing unit comprising: a heating member that heats a recording medium bearing a developer image; a first pressure member that presses said recording medium against said heating member, said first pressure member having a higher hardness than said heating member; a second pressure member that presses said recording medium against said heating member, said second pressure member having a higher hardness than said heating member, and said second pressure member being disposed upstream of said first pressure member in a first direction in which said recording medium is fed; and a fixing belt stretched around said first pressure member and said second pressure member, said fixing belt being nipped between said heating member and said first pressure member and between said heating member and said second pressure member; wherein said first pressure member has a shape in which a center portion in a second direction perpendicular to said first direction protrudes more outward than both end portions by a first protruding amount; and wherein said second pressure member has a shape in which a center portion in said second direction protrudes more outward than both end portions by a second protruding amount, said second protruding amount being different from said first protruding amount.