Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• an image carrier;
• a development unit that develops an electrostatic latent image present on the image carrier with a developer;
• a transfer member that transfers a developer image developed by the development unit from the image carrier to a recording medium by transporting while nipping the recording medium in a transfer position in contact with the image carrier;
• a corrective guide member that contacts the recording medium which is simultaneously caught by the transfer member for a period and that corrects placement of the recording medium with respect to the transfer member, thus guiding the recording medium toward the transport position;
• and
• a transport unit that transports the recording medium toward the transfer position while exerting a force on the recording medium in a direction causing a side edge of the recording medium along a transport direction to abut the corrective guide member, so that a force exerted on the recording medium in the transfer position in a direction orthogonal to a guide direction in which the corrective guide member guides the recording medium is larger than a force component in a direction orthogonal to the guide direction of a force by which the image carrier and the transfer member transport the recording medium in the transfer position.