Patent ID: 8827396

Claim:
An ink-jet recording apparatus, comprising: a recording head configured to perform image recording by ejecting ink to a recording medium; a discharge mechanism configured to perform a discharge operation for discharging the ink from the recording head; an absorbing member configured to absorb the ink discharged by the discharge mechanism; and a controller configured to make a judgment as to whether or not to allow the discharge mechanism to perform the discharge operation every time a discharge timing comes and to control the discharge mechanism based on a result of the judgment; wherein the controller is configured to: calculate a waste-liquid amount in a specific time period from a current discharge timing to a time point that precedes by a prescribed time from the current discharge timing, the waste-liquid amount indicative of an amount of the ink discharged from the recording head in the discharge operation; allow the discharge mechanism to perform the discharge operation when the calculated waste-liquid amount is smaller than an upper-limit value of an ink-absorption amount, in the specific time period, of the absorbing member; and inhibit the discharge mechanism from performing the discharge operation at the current discharge timing when the calculated waste-liquid amount becomes equal to or larger than the upper-limit value.