The invention provides an image forming apparatus and method. The image forming apparatus includes a transparent image forming unit having a transparent image carrier; plural color image forming units arranged on a downstream side in a process direction of the transparent image forming unit, the color image forming units having color image carriers; a black image forming unit arranged between the transparent image forming unit and the color image forming unit or on the downstream side of the color image forming units, the black image forming unit having a black image carrier; an intermediate transfer member to which the toner images formed in the respective image carriers are transferred; a retracting mechanism that brings the transparent image carrier into contact with or separates it from the intermediate transfer member according to the smoothness of the transfer surface of the recording medium; and a moving unit that brings the intermediate transfer member into contact with or separates it from the color image carrier.