Abstract: A scanning optical apparatus including a rotatable polygon mirror for deflecting laser light flux with equal angular velocity, an f lens for compensating the laser light flux deflected by the rotatable polygon mirror with equal angular velocity to equal velocity deflection, a surface falling-down compensating lens for compensating the surface falling-down of the rotatable polygon mirror for the laser light flux compensated by the f lens and focusing the laser light flux on the surface to be scanned, and a light intercepting member for intercepting laser light flux transmitted through the f lens and directed toward the edge portion at the side of ending the scanning of the surface falling-down compensating lens. The light intercepting member may be a mounting member for mounting the surface falling-down compensating lens, an element mounted on the mounting member. The light intercepting member may also be painted or stuck on the surface falling-down compensating lens or on the mounting member.

Abstract: In a multi-beam scanning device including a laser diode array having three or more light emitting points, the interval Pi between one of the three or more light emitting points and the adjacent light emitting point is set so as to be not greater than the minimum recording interval Pi′ of image information to be recorded on a recording medium. In addition, the three or more light emitting points are arranged such that the corresponding laser beam spots formed on the recording medium are arranged in a line or substantially in a line in the sub-scanning direction B. Thereby recording speed and recording density can be increased.

Abstract: A multibeam light source for use in information recording, including a semiconductor laser array provided with a plurality of light emitting points in a single package, in which the plurality of light emitting points are positioned in linear relationship to one another and have an equidistant pitch so as to respectively emit laser beams to be simultaneously scanned over a recording substrate. The position of the semiconductor laser array is adjustable so as to satisfy the relation &thgr;≦tan−1{1/(n−1)}, where the angle &thgr; is defined by two straight lines, the one drawn perpendicular to the primary scanning direction on an image recording substrate and the other drawn through respective centers of the first and n-th laser beam spots formed on the image recording substrate by projecting laser beams emitted respectively from the plurality of light emitting points.