Patent ID: 8100500
Filing Date: 2012-01-24
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. An ink jet printer provided with an ink circulation route in which are arranged an ink jet head for ejecting ink, a first tank for supplying ink to the ink jet head, a second tank for collecting ink which is not consumed by the ink jet heads, said ink jet printer comprising: a maintenance unit operable to perform a maintenance operation which consumes some amount of ink; a measuring unit operable to obtain a value indicative of the flow resistance measured when ink flows from the first tank to the second tank through the ink jet head; and a control unit operable to select one of maintenance operations on the basis of the value indicative of the flow resistance as obtained, wherein when the value indicative of the flow resistance as obtained is lower than a predetermined value, the control unit selects the operation of circulating ink around the ink circulation route as the one of maintenance operations, and the maintenance unit does not perform the maintenance operation which consumes some amount of ink.