Patent ID: 8737870

Claim:
An image-forming apparatus comprising: a process cartridge including a photosensitive drum having a photosensitive surface and a rotational axis; an exposing unit having a first end, a second end opposing the first end, and an exposing surface formed on the first end and oriented in a predetermined direction; a supporting member on which the process cartridge is mountable from a side of the second end; and a developing unit configured to supply a developer onto the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive surface of the photosensitive drum to develop the electrostatic latent image into a developer image, the photosensitive drum being configured to transfer the developer image onto a recording medium at a transferring point, wherein the supporting member has a pivotal supporting portion configured to pivotably movably support the process cartridge between an exposing position where the photosensitive surface of the photosensitive drum faces the exposing surface and a retracted position where the photosensitive surface of the photosensitive drum is offset from the exposing surface, the exposing surface being configured to expose the photosensitive surface of the photosensitive drum to form an electrostatic latent image when the process cartridge is positioned at the exposing position, wherein the exposing unit is disposed between the pivotal supporting portion and the photosensitive drum when the process cartridge is positioned at the exposing position, and wherein the pivotal supporting portion is disposed between a first line along a light emitted from the exposing surface and a second line passing through both the rotational axis and the transferring point when the process cartridge is positioned at the exposing position.