Patent ID: 8066357

Claim:
An ink-jet printer comprising: at least one ink-jet head that includes a plurality of ink introduction ports; a carriage that carries thereon the at least one ink-jet head and reciprocates in a reciprocating direction when the at least one ink-jet head ejects ink; and an ink supplier that is disposed outside the at least one ink-jet head and supplies ink to the ink introduction ports of the at least one ink-jet head, wherein: the ink supplier comprises: an ink supply pipe that is connected to an ink supply source, a brancher to which a distal end portion of the ink supply pipe is connected and that branches an ink supply path formed by the ink supply pipe into a plurality of paths, and a plurality of branch pipes that extend from the brancher respectively to the ink introduction ports of the at least one ink-jet head; the brancher and the branch pipes are configured to move in a direction parallel to the reciprocating direction of the carriage integrally with the at least one ink-jet head when the carriage reciprocates in the reciprocating direction; the distal end portion of the ink supply pipe is connected to the brancher in a direction perpendicular to the reciprocating direction of the carriage, and is configured to rotate relative to the brancher about an axis perpendicular to the reciprocating direction of the carriage when the carriage reciprocates in the reciprocating direction; the branch pipes comprises a first branch pipe and a second branch pipe that are in fluid communication with each other via the brancher; and the ink introduction ports of the at least one ink-jet head comprises a first ink introduction port connected to the first branch pipe and a second ink introduction port connected to the second branch pipe.