Patent ID: 7396116

Claim:
An ink jet printer, comprising: an ink jet head to which an ink cartridge storing ink is to be connected, wherein the ink jet head discharges the ink supplied from the ink cartridge connected to the ink jet head; a first support device capable of supporting a plurality of spare ink cartridges such that the plurality of spare ink cartridges is aligned in a direction in which the ink is discharged from the ink jet head and that a first of said plurality of spare ink cartridge is stacked on top of a second of said plurality of spare ink cartridges; and a connecting device that disconnects the ink cartridge connected to the ink jet head from the ink jet head, and connects one of the spare ink cartridges supported by the first support device to the ink jet head, wherein the first support device is located in a space offset from the ink jet head within a plane perpendicular to the direction in which the ink is discharged.