Patent ID: 8506041

Claim:
An ink jet recording apparatus configured to use ink containing a volatile component, the ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a recording head comprising a plurality of nozzles for discharging the ink and a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the ink in the plurality of nozzles; control means for controlling the recording head to perform idle drive operations which cause minute vibrations of ink menisci in the plurality of nozzles and to perform preliminary discharge operations to discharge the ink from the plurality of nozzles; changing means for changing a number of times of performing the idle drive operations and a number of times of performing the preliminary discharge operations according to the temperature of the ink detected by the temperature sensor; cleaning means for cleaning the recording head; detecting means for monitoring the temperature detected by the temperature sensor and detecting a highest temperature from an end of a last cleaning operation performed by the cleaning means; and storing means for storing the detected highest temperature; wherein the changing means uses the highest temperature as the temperature detected by the temperature sensor and changes the number of times of the idle drive operations and the number of times of the preliminary discharge operations according to the highest temperature.