A printing apparatus comprising: printing means (3, 30), including a plurality of orifices which discharge ink and are arrayed in a first direction, for performing printing, based on image data indicating an image to be printed, by discharging the ink from the plurality of orifices to a printing medium conveyed in a second direction crossing the first direction, and printing an inspection pattern including a first patch and a second patch (901, 903) different in color or having the same color and different in density so as to extend in the first direction respectively on the printing medium by the plurality of orifices wherein the first patch and the second patch are arranged in the second direction; scanning means, including a plurality of detection elements arranged in the second direction for performing scan in the first direction and scanning the inspection pattern (901, 902, 903) on the printing medium; and correcting means for correcting, based on a scanning result of the inspection pattern by the scanning means, the image data so as to reduce unevenness in density between areas of image on the printing medium printed by the printing means in a predetermined direction, characterized, in that the scanning means is configured to scan the inspection pattern by converging light beams reflected by the inspection pattern to a lens and causing a plurality of detection elements to receive light beams passing through the lens and being diffused; wherein among the plurality of detection elements a first detection element is closer to the lens than a second detection element, and using the second detection element instead of the first detection element results in a decrease in scanning output values depending on the color and the print density of the scanned image; and the apparatus is configured to scan the first patch by using the first detection element and the second patch (901, 903) by using the second detection element, and the decrease in scanning output values by using the second detection element instead of the first detection element for scanning the second patch is smaller than a decrease in scanning output values by using the second detection element for scanning the first patch. printing means (3, 30), including a plurality of orifices which discharge ink and are arrayed in a first direction, for performing printing, based on image data indicating an image to be printed, by discharging the ink from the plurality of orifices to a printing medium conveyed in a second direction crossing the first direction, and printing an inspection pattern including a first patch and a second patch (901, 903) different in color or having the same color and different in density so as to extend in the first direction respectively on the printing medium by the plurality of orifices wherein the first patch and the second patch are arranged in the second direction; scanning means, including a plurality of detection elements arranged in the second direction for performing scan in the first direction and scanning the inspection pattern (901, 902, 903) on the printing medium; and correcting means for correcting, based on a scanning result of the inspection pattern by the scanning means, the image data so as to reduce unevenness in density between areas of image on the printing medium printed by the printing means in a predetermined direction, characterized, in that the scanning means is configured to scan the inspection pattern by converging light beams reflected by the inspection pattern to a lens and causing a plurality of detection elements to receive light beams passing through the lens and being diffused; wherein among the plurality of detection elements a first detection element is closer to the lens than a second detection element, and using the second detection element instead of the first detection element results in a decrease in scanning output values depending on the color and the print density of the scanned image; and the apparatus is configured to scan the first patch by using the first detection element and the second patch (901, 903) by using the second detection element, and the decrease in scanning output values by using the second detection element instead of the first detection element for scanning the second patch is smaller than a decrease in scanning output values by using the second detection element for scanning the first patch.