Image forming apparatus having long-life fixing device

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

• an image forming device to form an image on a printing medium;
• and
• a fixing device to fix the image formed onto the printing medium, wherein the fixing device comprises:
• a fixing belt disposed to be rotatable around a rotation axis of the fixing belt;
• a pair of rotation ring members to support corresponding ends of the fixing belt respectively and be rotated by the fixing belt;
• a pair of flange members to rotatably support the pair of rotation ring members respectively;
• and
• a pressing roller to press the printing medium by forming a fixing nip with the fixing belt,
• wherein a corresponding flange member of the pair of flange members includes a protrusion, formed on a first contact portion, among contact portions, on a front side of the corresponding flange member, to come into contact with a rotation ring member of the pair of rotation ring members to support the rotation ring member in an inclined state towards the fixing belt in which, with respect to the rotational axis of the fixing belt, an area of the rotation ring member opposite to a fixing nip area of the rotation ring member at the fixing nip comes into contact with the protrusion to cause the rotation ring member to protrude more towards the fixing belt at the area opposite to the pressed portion of the fixing belt than the fixing nip area.