Patent ID: 8488185

Claim:
An image writing apparatus comprising: an image writing unit that faces an image carrier or a support member supporting a recording medium and that writes an image on the image carrier or the recording medium; a moving unit that moves the image writing unit between a first position and a second position apart from the first position; and a positioning unit that sets the image writing unit in the first position and that includes a first restriction member, a second restriction member, a third restriction member, and a restriction releasing portion, wherein the first restriction member restricts a first movement of the image writing unit along a first direction from the image carrier to the image writing unit or from the support member to the image writing unit, the second restriction member restricts a second movement of the image writing unit along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and an axial direction of the image carrier or the support member, the third restriction member restricts a third movement of the image writing unit along a third direction parallel to the axial direction, and the restriction releasing portion releases the third movement after the image writing unit is set in the first position by the first to third restriction member.