Patent ID: 6336706
Filing Date: 2002-01-08
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
A printing apparatus that prints images by forming dots on a print medium, comprising:a print head that includes a plurality of dot formation elements for forming dots on the print medium; a main scanning drive section that drives at least one of the print head and the print medium for main scanning; a head drive section that during main scanning drives at least a portion of the plurality of dot formation elements to form dots; a sub-scanning drive section that at completion of each main scan drives at least one of the print head and the print medium for sub-scanning; and a controller for controlling each section; wherein the sub-scanning drive section includes a first sub-scanning a drive mechanism that effects sub-scan feeding at a relatively high precision, and a second sub-scanning drive mechanism that effects sub-scan feeding at a relatively low precision after completion of sub-scan feeding by at least the first sub-scanning drive mechanism; wherein the print head is provided with a first array of a plurality of dot formation element groups that are arrayed in a prescribed order in the sub-scanning direction, the first array including a group of yellow dot formation elements for forming yellow dots, the plurality of dot formation element groups of the first array being arrayed in an order that is determined so that at an arbitrary point on the print medium yellow dots are formed after dots of other colors, each of the plurality of dot formation element groups of the first array having a mutually equal number of dot formation elements; and wherein when the print medium is being fed in a sub-scanning direction not by the first sub-scanning drive mechanism but by the second sub-scanning drive mechanism, the controller effects printing in the vicinity of a trailing edge of the print medium using the group of yellow dot formation elements but not the other groups of the first array.