Patent ID: 8636334

Claim:
A printing apparatus, comprising: a print unit, comprising: a first print head that includes a first printing element array formed by first printing elements configured to print first dots, and a second print head that includes a second printing element array formed by second printing elements configured to print second dots; a scan unit configured to scan the print unit in a scan direction; an adjustment pattern printing control unit configured to control the print unit to print a plurality of adjustment patterns on a print medium using (i) a first printing element, of the first printing elements, disposed in an adjustment pattern printing area of the first printing element array, and (ii) a second printing element, of the second printing elements, disposed in an adjustment pattern printing area of the second printing element array, wherein a position of the first printing element within the first printing element array corresponds to a position of the second printing element within the second printing element array, wherein the adjustment pattern printing area of the first printing element array does not include a center of the first printing element array, and the adjustment pattern printing area of the second printing element array does not include a center of the second printing element array, and wherein the adjustment pattern printing control unit controls the print unit to print the plurality of adjustment patterns in one scan by the scan unit; an adjustment value determination unit configured to determine an adjustment value for the second printing element array relative to the first printing element array based on the plurality of the adjustment patterns; an inclination acquisition unit configured to acquire a first inclination amount of the first printing element array and a second inclination amount of the second printing element array; a first correction value acquisition unit configured to acquire a first correction value based on the first inclination amount of the first printing element array and the position of the adjustment pattern printing area of the first printing element array; a second correction value acquisition unit configured to acquire a second correction value based on the inclination amount of the second printing element array and the position of the adjustment pattern printing area of the second printing element array; a correction unit configured to correct the adjustment value, calculated by the adjustment value determination unit, by using the first correction value and the second correction value; and a print control unit configured to control printing of an image in accordance with the corrected adjustment value, corrected by the correction unit.