Sheet conveyance unit and image forming apparatus including same

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

• a carriage including an image forming unit;
• and
• a sheet conveyance unit for transporting a sheet unreeled from a roll, the sheet conveyance unit including:
• a casing;
• a roll holder to hold a roll of the sheet including a pair of supporters to support both sides of end portions of a shaft of the roll, the pair of supporters to move in an axial direction of the roll with a space provided between the supporters, the space of which can be varied;
• a pair of first conveyance rollers to clamp the sheet unreeled from the roll therebetween and to transport the sheet;
• a pair of second conveyance rollers disposed downstream from the pair of first conveyance rollers in a sheet conveyance direction and disposed upstream of the carriage, to clamp the sheet between the pair of first conveyance rollers and the second conveyance rollers so that the sheet can be transported from the pair of first conveyance rollers;
• a tensioner to tension the sheet, disposed between the pair of first conveyance rollers and the pair of second conveyance rollers, the tensioner including a contact plate extending over an entire width of the sheet and having a first face to move and press a surface of the sheet with a plate surface of the contact plate, the contact plate pivotably supported on the casing of the sheet conveyance unit;
• and
• a tension adjustment unit to adjust the tension of the sheet by adjusting a force to press the contact plate against the sheet,
• the tension adjustment unit including a first adjuster connected to the supporters of the roll holder, to adjust the force to move and press the contact plate against the sheet according to the distance of the space provided between the pair of supporters of the roll holder in the axial direction of the roll.