Patent ID: 7328963

Claim:
An ink jet printing apparatus having scan means for causing a print head to scan in a predetermined scan direction, the print head having a plurality of printing elements to convert electric energy into ink ejection energy, and a transport means for transporting a print medium in a direction crossing the scan direction of the print head, the ink jet printing apparatus comprising: drive means for driving a plurality of printing elements of the print head; setting means for setting a printing condition of a printing operation; operation number detection means for detecting the number of printing element operations executed by the drive means in a predetermined check area set in one scan area of the print head; decision means for checking if a detected value produced by the operation number detection means is larger than a predetermined threshold; first changing means for changing a set value of the number of printing element operations in one scan period of the print head; second changing means for changing one scan period from when the print head starts the printing scan until the next printing scan is started; and control means for, when the decision means decides that the detected value is larger than the threshold, selecting either the first changing means or the second changing means according to the printing condition set by the setting means and causing the printing operation to be executed.