Image formation apparatus

This application is related to Japanese Patent Applications Nos. 2000-66540, 2000-148006 and 2000-200649, filed on Mar. 10, 2000, May 19, 2000 and Jul. 3, 2000 whose priorities are claimed under 35 USC §119, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety. An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a paper transport unit, and a control unit for supplying the image forming unit with image data for a plurality of pages so that the image forming unit forms images page by page on sheets transported by the paper transport unit, wherein, when the image data for each page includes data representative of blanks on a leading end side and on a tail end side of the page in a paper transport direction, the control unit deletes the data representative of the blank either on the leading end side or on the tail end side from the image data prior to supplying the image forming unit with the image data, and controls the paper transport unit so that a plurality of sheets are transported sequentially to the image formation unit in a multiple state in which one sheet partially overlaps with another in the paper transport direction by a length corresponding to the deleted data representative of the blank.