Patent ID: 7641326
Filing Date: 2010-01-05
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: plural ink tanks, each tank being configured to store and supply a different basic ink; plural sub-tanks coupled to the ink tanks and configured to receive at least one of the basic inks supplied from the ink tanks; an inkjet recording head for receiving ink from the sub-tanks and configured to discharge the ink onto a recording medium; a carriage configured to hold the sub-tanks and the inkjet recording head, and configured to move the sub-tanks relative to the ink tanks to allow ink from the ink tanks to be supplied to the sub-tanks; and a controller configured to control movement of the carriage and to control which of the basic inks are supplied from the ink tanks to the sub tanks, wherein at least one of the basic inks from the ink tanks is supplied to more than one of the sub-tanks, and wherein the controller controls the supply of the basic inks from the ink tanks to the sub-tanks in order from paler inks to darker inks.