Patent ID: 9016820
Filing Date: 2015-04-28
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. A printing apparatus comprising: a printhead provided with a first nozzle array and a second nozzle array for discharging ink onto a printing medium, wherein the first nozzle array and the second nozzle array are arranged in a predetermined direction; a scanning unit configured to scan the printhead in the predetermined direction; a first obtaining unit configured to obtain, for each of a plurality of positions on the printing medium in the predetermined direction, first information about a shift amount, in the predetermined direction, between a printing position of ink discharged from the first nozzle array and a printing position of ink discharged from the second nozzle array; a print control unit configured to cause the printhead to print a first distance detection pattern on the printing medium by discharging ink from the first nozzle array and to print a second distance detection pattern at a position spaced apart from the first distance detection pattern in the predetermined direction by discharging ink from the second nozzle array; a second obtaining unit configured to obtain, based on the first distance detection pattern and the second distance detection pattern, second information about a distance between a printing position of the first distance detection pattern and a printing position of the second distance detection pattern; and a determination unit configured to determine, based on the first information obtained by the first obtaining unit and the second information obtained by the second obtaining unit, a relative ink discharge timing between the first nozzle array and the second nozzle array in the scanning by the scanning unit, by correcting the distance between the printing position of the first distance detection pattern and the printing position of the second distance detection pattern which is indicated by the second information obtained by the second obtaining unit using the first information obtained by the first obtaining unit.