An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, an endless intermediate transfer member having a transport surface and being tensioned to transport a developer image, transferred from the image carrier to the intermediate transfer member, from a first transfer position to a second transfer position, a first transfer member that brings the intermediate transfer member in contact with the image carrier and transfers a developer image present on the image carrier to the intermediate transfer member at the first transfer position, a second transfer member that transfers the developer image to a recording medium at the second transfer position, a position adjusting member that adjusts a position of the transport surface of the intermediate transfer member downstream of the first transfer position, and a controller that controls the position adjusting member responsively to a type of the recoding medium to which the second transfer member transfers the developer image.