IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus that suppresses useless toner consumption without causing deterioration in throughput and increase in cost upon image formation. SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus includes: a cassette for storing recording materials; a detecting means for detecting whether or not one or more recording materials are stored in the cassette at a certain position of the recording material conveying path, including the inside of the cassette, where the trailing end of the recording material used in the present image forming operation already passed, before starting the formation of a toner image to be transferred to the recording material used for the following image forming operation; and a control means that performs control to start the formation of the toner image after confirming that one or more recording materials are stored in the cassette. COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT