Patent ID: 7152970

Claim:
An image recording apparatus, comprising: a plurality of printing heads, each of the printing heads for jetting ink drops having a photo-setting property toward a recording medium; a conveyance device for conveying the recording medium along a conveyance direction to face each of the printing heads; a plurality of light radiation devices, each of the light radiation devices for radiating light energy and hardening ink drops jetted on the recording medium; an operation section for inputting a setting value for the light energy radiated from each of the light radiation devices; and a controller for controlling the plurality of printing heads, the conveyance device, and the plurality of light radiation devices based on a result input from the operation section, wherein the plurality of printing heads are arranged along the conveyance direction, and each of the light radiation devices is arranged downstream from a position corresponding to each of the printing heads, wherein the light energy radiated from the light radiation device disposed at a downmoststream position with respect to the conveyance direction is set to provide at least the light energy required for hardening the ink drops jetted from any one of the plurality of printing heads arranged upstream with respect to the light radiation device disposed at the downmoststream position, wherein the light energy radiated from each of the light radiation devices is set such that the light energy radiated from the light radiation device disposed at the downmoststream position is largest, and the light energy radiated from the remaining light radiation devices gradually becomes smaller in the upstream direction with respect to the light radiation device disposed at the downmoststrearn position, and wherein the controller forms a test pattern on the recording medium to determine whether each of the light radiation devices is appropriately radiating the light energy.