Patent ID: 7715767

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: a plurality of image carriers that are disposed at intervals and in a line, and that are driven to rotate while carrying images; an intermediate transfer belt that have an endless shape, and that is disposed to be laid on a plurality of rolls so as to be able to contact the image carriers; a plurality of transfer rolls that rotate while being brought into contact with the image carriers through the intermediate transfer belt in a first position, respectively, so as to transfer the images on the image carriers to the intermediate transfer belt; and a moving mechanism that moves at least one of the plurality of the transfer rolls to a second position keeping apart from the plurality of the image carriers while the at least one of the plurality of the transfer rolls are kept in contact with the intermediate transfer belt, wherein the second position is on a downstream side of the first position in a direction of rotation of the intermediate transfer belt, and is nearer a center of the representative image carriers than the first position in a direction, and the direction indicates a direction perpendicular to a surface of the intermediate transfer belt when the plurality of transfer rolls is in the first position.