Patent ID: 8131165

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming section that includes a first image forming part forming a toner image by using an image forming unit to be mounted, and a second image forming part forming a toner image by using an image forming unit to be mounted, the first image forming part and the second image forming part being inhibited from forming respective toner images if an image forming unit is not mounted to the first image forming part, the first image forming part being allowed to form a toner image if an image forming unit is mounted to the first image forming part while an image forming unit is not mounted to the second image forming part; and a transporting section that includes a first receiving part receiving waste powder discarded by the first image forming part, and a second receiving part receiving waste powder discarded by the second image forming part, and that transports the waste powder thus received, wherein the first image receiving part receives waste powder from at least any one of a yellow toner image, a magenta toner image, a cyan toner image, and a black toner image, and the second receiving part receives waste powder from other than the yellow toner image, the magenta toner image, the cyan toner image, and the black toner image, the second receiving part of the transporting section being provided downstream of the first receiving part in a transporting direction of the waste powder, a yellow-color image forming unit, a magenta-color image forming unit, a cyan-color image forming unit and a black-color image forming unit are mounted to the first image forming part, an image forming unit other than the yellow-color image forming unit, the magenta-color image forming unit, the cyan-color image forming unit and the black-color image forming unit is mounted to the second image forming part, and any image formation is inhibited if the yellow-color image forming unit, the magenta-color image forming unit, the cyan-color image forming unit and the black-color image forming unit are not mounted to the first image forming part.