Patent ID: 8567906

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: a plurality of heads to eject liquid droplets, each of the plurality of heads having multiple nozzles arrayed in at least one row to eject liquid droplets; and a head support member to mount the plurality of heads, the head support member having a first positioning portion and a second positioning portion to position each of the plurality of heads, wherein each head amongst the plurality of heads has a first positioning face disposed in a first portion of the head, to position the head, in a nozzle array direction in which the nozzles of the head are arrayed in at least one row and a second positioning face to position the head in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle array direction, the first positioning face and the second positioning face are cut faces formed by cutting, each of a first distance between the first positioning face and a first reference nozzle of the nozzles of each of the plurality of heads and a second distance between the second positioning face and a second reference nozzle of the nozzles of each of the plurality of heads is uniform between the plurality of heads, and each of the plurality of heads is mounted to the head support member with the first positioning face and the second positioning face contacting the first positioning portion and the second positioning portion, respectively, and wherein said each head amongst the plurality of heads has (i) two third positioning faces disposed in the first end portion of the head and (ii) another third positioning face disposed at a second end portion opposite the first end portion in the nozzle array direction of the head, to position the head in a droplet ejection direction in which liquid droplets are ejected from the nozzles of the head, each of the third positioning faces and another third positioning face is a cut face formed by cutting, the head support member has third positioning portions corresponding to said two third positioning faces and another third positioning face, respectively, to position each of the plurality of heads, a third distance between each of said third positioning faces and another third positioning face and a nozzle face of each of the plurality of heads is uniform between the plurality of heads, and each of the plurality of heads is mounted to the head support member with said third positioning faces and another third positioning face contacting the respective third positioning portions of the head support member.