IMAGE-FORMING APPARATUS AND RECORDING AGENT-DETECTING APPARATUS

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a count of parts and lower manufacturing costs in a mechanism detecting the remaining amount of a recording agent with the use of light. SOLUTION: A recording head 1 discharges an ink 4 stored in an ink tank 2 thereby forming images onto a recording medium. While the recording head 1 is at a recovery process position by a recovery system unit 6, an optical detecting part 5 detects the presence/absence of the ink 4. An optical output from a light-emitting part 51 is split in two directions. One of the optical output from the light-emitting part 51 is projected to the ink tank 2 and a reflecting light is received by a photodetecting part 52, whereby the presence/absence of the ink 4 is detected. The other optical output reaches an incident face 7A of a guide member 7 and makes a light-emitting face 7B emit light. The light- emitting face 7B is used as a power source display lamp.