Patent ID: 7648218

Claim:
A printing apparatus for effecting printing with a recording head which is mountable thereto to eject ink, said apparatus including communicating means for communication with an information processing apparatus, said apparatus comprising: a controller for determining a kind of device among a plurality of kinds in response to a predetermined operation for setting the kind of the printing apparatus, and being operable for the determined kind; a discriminator for discriminating whether the kind of device is determined or not; a detector for detecting whether or not the recording head is mounted; a communication controller for controlling communication with the information processing apparatus by the communicating means and transmitting information based on the kind of device to the information processing apparatus in accordance with a result of discrimination of said discriminator; and a storing portion for storing the information to determine the kind of device, wherein in response to detection of mounting of the recording head, said controller causes said storing portion to store information indicating the kind of ink to be ejected from the mounted recording head stored in the mounted recording head, and said discriminator discriminates that the kind of device is determined when said storing portion stores the information indicating the kind of ink and determines that the kind of device is not determined when said storing portion does not store the information indicating the kind of ink, and wherein when said discriminator discriminates that the kind of device is not determined, said communication controller prohibits the communicating means from communicating with the information processing apparatus, and when said discriminator discriminates that the kind of device is determined, said communication controller permits the communicating means to communicate with the information processing apparatus.