Patent ID: 7281784

Claim:
A liquid discharge apparatus for relatively moving a recording medium and a head in a direction substantially perpendicular to a predetermined direction and for forming pixels composed of a predetermined number of dots disposed in pixel areas on the recording medium according to a liquid discharge signal during the relative movement, the liquid discharge apparatus comprising: a head including a plurality of liquid dischargers having nozzles aligned in a predetermined direction; a discharge deflecting unit capable of deflecting the trajectory of a droplet discharged from the liquid discharger with various amplitudes along the predetermined direction, the deflecting unit discharging droplets from at least two of the liquid dischargers in the vicinity onto the same pixel area, and discharging droplets from a liquid discharger selected from among the liquid dischargers capable of discharging droplets onto a pixel area for a pixel composed of a predetermined number of dots; a storing unit for storing information on discharge failure, wherein the storing unit stores information on a liquid discharger shut-off due to discharge failure; an alternative discharge unit for discharging droplets alternatively, wherein the alternative discharge unit transfers at least a part of a liquid discharge signal directed to the shut-off discharger to a free time slot, in which no discharge of droplets is commanded, of at least one of the other liquid dischargers according to the information stored in the storing unit and controls the liquid dischargers receiving the liquid discharge signal to discharge droplets onto the same landing position as the shut-off liquid discharger during the free time slot according to the transferred liquid discharge signal.