Patent ID: 8792194

Claim:
A magnetic recording reproducing apparatus, comprising: a magnetic recording medium having an information recording area; a magnetic recording element which records information by applying a recording magnetic field to the magnetic recording medium to form recording columns extending in a first direction; a magnetic reproducing element which reproduces information by detecting a leaked magnetic field from the magnetic recording medium; a moving mechanism which moves positions of the magnetic recording element and the magnetic reproducing element relative to the magnetic recording medium, in the first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and a controller which controls the magnetic recording element and the moving mechanism to form in the information recording area a plurality of recording columns adjacent to each other in the second direction so that each of the recording columns partially overlap with an adjacent recording column in the second direction, wherein the controller controls the magnetic recording element and the moving mechanism so that a first recording column partially overlap with a previously formed second recording column in the second direction, and that a recording start position of the first recording column is positioned upstream, relative to a recording direction, of a recording start position of the second recording column.