Patent ID: 6942313

Claim:
A printing apparatus which prints by scanning a printhead having an array of printing elements adjacent a printing medium in a direction crossing to a direction of the array, said printing apparatus comprising: test pattern printing means, when printing of a test pattern for verifying a printing characteristic of each printing element is designated, controlling driving of the printhead so as to print a test pattern including a plurality of straight patterns with a predetermined length in a scanning direction that are printed by driving adjacent printing elements in parallel, wherein all the printing elements are used for printing at least one straight pattern, wherein said test pattern printing means controls driving of the printhead so as to print the plurality of straight patterns by sequentially changing at least one of the adjacent printing elements used for printing from a printing element at one end of the printhead to a printing element at the other end of the printhead, and wherein said test pattern printing means controls driving of the printhead so as to shift the straight patterns from each other by a length not greater than the predetermined length in the scanning direction.