Patent ID: 7325900

Claim:
A printing apparatus which forms an image on a printing medium by alternately repeating print main scanning, in which a printing element array including a plurality of printing elements arranged in a predetermined direction is moved in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction, and sub-scanning, in which the printing medium is transported in a direction intersecting the print main scanning by an amount smaller than a width of the printing element array, the printing elements applying a printing agent onto the printing medium according to image data, so that printing on a same image region of the printing medium is completed by repeating the print main scanning and the sub-scanning plural times, said apparatus comprising: means for acquiring inclination information on the printing element array; means for acquiring a printing mode for the image data to be printed, the printing mode including information of a number of the plural times; means for setting a division number B (an integer of not less than 1) for dividing the plurality of printing elements into a plurality of blocks, and timings at which each of the plurality of blocks are driven, on the bases of the inclination information and the printing mode; and means for driving the plurality of printing elements on the bases of the division number B and the timings.