Patent ID: 8104866

Claim:
An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: an inkjet head which has an ink ejection surface and ejects droplets of an ink from nozzles provided in the ink ejection surface onto a recording medium; a pressure drum which is disposed in a position opposing the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head, has a round cylindrical circumferential surface in which a recording medium holding position and a non-holding position are provided, a plurality of suctioning holes in the recording medium holding position where the recording medium is held by suction through the suctioning holes, an opening section corresponding to an ink ejection width of the inkjet head in the non-holding position where the recording medium is not held, and a first suction flow channel that is connected to the opening section and provided integrally with the opening section inside the pressure drum, and holds and rotates the recording medium at the recording medium holding position in such a manner that the recording medium is conveyed in a circumferential direction of the pressure drum; an opening section suctioning device which suctions the opening section and the first suction flow channel at least in a droplet ejection region where the droplets of the ink are ejected from the inkjet head; a recording medium suctioning device which is capable of being connected to the suctioning holes arranged in the recording medium holding position of the pressure drum to hold the recording medium by suction through the suctioning holes at the recording medium holding position of the pressure drum; a second suction flow channel which is capable of connecting the recording medium suctioning device to the opening section arranged in the non-holding position of the pressure drum; and a switching valve which switches the recording medium suctioning device from a state of being connected to the suctioning holes to a state of being connected to the opening section.