Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• a first image bearer on which a first latent image and a second latent image are formed;
• a second image bearer on which the first latent image and the second latent image are transferred from the first image bearer;
• an optical writing device including:
• a first optical writer to emit and scan a first light beam in a scanning direction onto a first scanning region in the first image bearer to form the first latent image on the first scanning region;
• and
• a second optical writer adjacent to the first optical writer in the scanning direction, the second optical writer to emit and scan a second light beam in the scanning direction onto a second scanning region in the first image bearer to form the second latent image on the second scanning region, and
• each end of the first scanning region and the second scanning region is overlapped in a first overlapping region of the first image bearer at a center of the first image bearer in the scanning direction;
• an image former to:
• develop the first latent image and the second latent image with a single-color toner into a first toner image and a second toner image, respectively;
• and
• transfer the first toner image and the second toner image onto the second image bearer to respectively form:
• a first correction pattern in a first transfer region in the second image bearer corresponding to the first scanning region of the first image bearer;
• and
• a second correction pattern in a second transfer region in the second image bearer corresponding to the second scanning region of the first image bearer, and
• each end of the first transfer region and the second transfer region is overlapped in a second overlapping region of the second image bearer at a center of the second image bearer in the scanning direction;
• and
• multiple sensors to detect at least one of the first correction pattern on the first transfer region or the second correction pattern on the second transfer region,
• wherein the multiple sensors include a common sensor to detect both the first correction pattern and the second correction pattern in the second overlapping region on the second image bearer.