Method and apparatus for forming images capable of reducing color registration errors

Abstract

An image forming apparatus including a memory device configured to prestore control information and registration pattern data, a traveling member, a toner pattern forming device forming a toner pattern, which includes a plurality of marks of a plurality of color components, on the traveling member according to the registration pattern data. A position detecting device detects each of the plurality of marks in the toner pattern. A control information correcting device corrects the control information according to a difference among positions of the plurality of marks, and a main-scan registration correcting device adjusts, based on the corrected control information, a start-of-write timing in the main scanning direction in a unit of a pixel clock cycle and adjusts a writing timing in the main scanning direction in a unit smaller than the pixel clock cycle by controlling a phase of the pixel clock cycle.