Patent ID: 8235499

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: a main body having a front side and a back side; an operating part disposed on the front side of the main body; and an engine unit including: a frame; a carriage movable in a predetermined direction between the front and back sides of the main body; a recording head provided on the carriage and including nozzles configured to eject droplets of recording liquid in order to form an image on a recording medium; and a guide member configured to guide the carriage in the predetermined direction; and a nozzle maintaining and recovering unit provided in the engine unit and disposed at the back side of the main body along the predetermined direction, and configured to maintain a normal state, and to recover from an abnormal state, of the nozzles of the recording head; a recording liquid supplying mechanism distinct from the engine unit and configured to supply the recording liquid to the recording head of the engine unit, the recording liquid supplying mechanism including: a recording liquid cartridge configured to store the recording liquid; at least one recording liquid tube configured to supply the recording liquid from the recording liquid cartridge to the engine unit; and a cartridge storing unit disposed at the front side of the main body and configured to store the recording liquid cartridge, and wherein the frame, the carriage and the guide member of the engine unit are detachable, collectively as a single unit of the engine unit, from the main body in the predetermined direction towards the front side of the main body, wherein the recording liquid cartridge is removable from and attachable to the cartridge storing unit of the recording liquid supplying mechanism, separately from the engine unit, substantially in the predetermined direction, and wherein the cartridge storing unit and the nozzle maintaining and recovering unit are disposed on opposite sides along the predetermined direction.