An image forming apparatus includes a belt-shaped image carrier adapted to support a toner image: a transfer roller; a contact/separation mechanism, operable to bring the transfer roller into contact with the image carrier to transfer the toner image from the image carrier onto a recording medium and operable to separate the transfer roller from the image carrier after the toner image is transferred onto the recording medium; and a rotation applier, operable to apply a first rotation to the transfer roller in a state that the transfer roller is separated from the image carrier. The rotation applier and the transfer roller are mechanically separated from each other when the transfer roller is in contact with the image carrier. When the contact/separation mechanism brings the transfer roller into contact with the image carrier, a circumferential speed of the transfer roller is made coincident with a circumferential speed of the image carrier.