US Patent 7551882 Image forming apparatus equipping improved transfer fixing apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a latent electrostatic image forming unit, a developing unit, an intermediate transferring unit which has an intermediate transfer belt and a plurality of rollers supporting the intermediate transfer belt, and a transfer fixing unit. The transfer fixing unit has a transfer fixing belt, a plurality of rollers supporting the transfer fixing belt, a heating member, and a pressurizing member forming a transfer fixing nip with the transfer fixing belt. A first roller, which is one of the plurality of rollers supporting the intermediate transferring belt, is opposite to a second roller, which is one of the plurality of rollers supporting the fixing transfer belt. The first roller and the second roller form a transfer nip between the intermediate transferring belt and the fixing transfer belt. The diameter of the first roller is smaller than the diameter of the second roller.