Patent ID: 8690280

Claim:
A printing apparatus comprising: a holder in which a cartridge set is mounted, the cartridge set including N (N is an integer equal to or greater than 2) printing material cartridges which can be independently mounted; and a mounting detection circuit for detecting mounted states of the printing material cartridges in the holder, wherein each of the N printing material cartridges includes a storage device for storing information regarding a printing material which is contained, an electric device for mounting detection which is connected in parallel with the mounting detection circuit, a terminal for the storage device, and a terminal for the electric device, and the electric devices of the N printing material cartridges are configured so that a detection voltage detected by the mounting detection circuit becomes equal to or greater than a threshold voltage set in advance when the N printing material cartridges are all mounted in the holder; wherein the electric devices of the N printing material cartridges are configured so that the detection voltage has a voltage value capable of uniquely identifying 2 N kinds of mounted states regarding the N printing material cartridges, and the mounting detection circuit determines the mounted states of the printing material cartridges in the holder on the basis of the detection voltage.