IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus in which supply of recycled toner reduces toner consumption, leading to lower cost per sheet for image formation, to a smaller quantity of waste toner (i.e., quantity of waste toner recovered into a waste toner tank), and to smaller capacity of a waste toner tank, which greatly contributes to a reduction in the size of the machine. SOLUTION: In the color developing devices using four color toners of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, the yellow developing device is disposed furthest upstream in image formation. The developing devices are provided with a toner recycle mechanism designed such that toner discharged from the photoreceptor cleaning section of the yellow developing device is recycled into a yellow toner supply path, and toners discharged from the photoreceptor cleaning sections of the magenta, cyan, and black developing devices are supplied to a black toner supply path. COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT