An image forming apparatus includes a head drive control unit configured to generate a drive waveform including drive pulses in time series, select one or more drive pulses from the drive waveform according to a droplet size, and provide the selected drive pulses to a pressure generation unit configured to generate a pressure for pressurizing a liquid in a liquid chamber. The drive waveform includes a pulling-in waveform element to be selected first. The pulling-in waveform element allows the individual liquid chamber to expand to an expanding state smaller than before start of contraction for droplet ejecting. The drive pulse includes an expanding waveform element that allows the liquid chamber having expanded in the pulling-in waveform element to expand to the expanding state before start of contraction for droplet ejecting, and a contracting waveform element that allows the liquid chamber to contract.