Patent ID: 8848208

Claim:
A printing apparatus comprising: a printing unit; a reading unit disposed downstream of the printing unit and configured to read-a patterns formed by the printing unit; and a drying unit disposed downstream of the reading unit and configured to forcibly dry ink applied to a sheet, wherein the reading unit integrally includes a sensor unit configured to read information on the sheet, a presser configured to press a supporting surface for supporting the sheet, and a reciprocally movable carriage configured to hold the sensor unit, wherein a sheet on which the patterns are formed in a plurality of rows by the printing unit is conveyed toward downstream so that an area having the formed patterns reaches at least an area to be dried by the drying unit, and subsequently, with respect to the patterns, reading by the reading unit for each row included in the plurality of rows and step-feeding of the sheet toward upstream are repeated, and wherein the presser and the supporting surface are being pressed during the reading, and the pressing is being released during the step-feeding.