PURPOSE: To improve transfer efficiency by allowing an endless belt to contact the transfer paper in contact with a photoreceptor, transferring the toner image on the photoreceptor to the transfer paper and separating the same from the transfer belt in the state that it is held in close contact with the endless belt.

CONSTITUTION: When a copying command is emitted, a destaticizer 6 and a charger 2 operate to uniformly charge the surface of a photosensitive drum 1 positive. Next, the light image of an original is irradiated to form an electrostatic latent image on the drum 1. The image is developed and visualized. In synchronization with the progression of the image on the drum 1, transfer paper S is fed. When the transfer paper S comes to a transfer section, a transfer charger 18 operates to discharge positive coronas via an endless belt 17. The transfer paper S is conveyed by being electrostatically attracted to the endless belt 17 separating from the drum 1 with the position of a pressure-contact roller 19 as a boundary. Since the ground potential of the endless belt 17 is not enhanced to above a certain range, the discharge does not occur at the time when the transfer paper S separates from the drum 1.