Patent ID: 8061792
Filing Date: 2011-11-22
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. A printing apparatus comprising: a printing unit for printing visual information on a non-recording surface of a recording medium, which is detachably attached and rotatably driven, by discharging ink droplets; and a control unit for controlling movement of the printing unit in a radial direction of the rotatably driven recording medium, and controlling a discharge timing of the ink droplets discharged from the printing unit, wherein the printing unit includes a plurality of ink droplet discharge nozzles, and prints the visual information by multi-path printing of completing printing on a circumferential path along a same radius position of the non-recording surface by discharging ink from different ink discharge nozzles on the circumferential path, and the control unit controls the printing unit so as to print with a first multi-path printing pattern having a first number of paths and a second multi-path printing pattern having a second number of paths different from the first number of paths, the first multi-path printing pattern used when printing on other locations of the non-recording surface and the second multi-path printing pattern used when printing on an innermost periphery region smaller than a length of a plurality of ink droplet discharge nozzles at an inner peripheral part of a printable region of the non-recording surface.