This invention provides an image forming apparatus where the useful life of the image carrier does not become significantly short. This system has a charging unit, a charge voltage loading unit, an exposure unit, a development unit, an image transfer unit and a control unit, wherein, when the transport interval of the plural recording materials is shorter than a predetermined time the AC charge voltage applied to the image carrier during the transport interval being a first AC charge voltage, and when the transport interval is longer than the predetermined time the ac charge voltage applied to the image carrier during the transport interval being a second AC charge voltage, the control unit makes the current running in the charging unit to which the second charge voltage is applied lower than the current running in the charging unit to which the first AC charge voltage is applied.