Patent ID: 7458673

Claim:
An ink jet recording apparatus for recording a color image, comprising: a first head group including a plurality of chromatic color ink recording heads, which are aligned in a scanning direction, for jetting a plurality of photocurable chromatic color inks to a recording medium; a second head group including at least one of a transparent ink recording head for jetting a photocurable transparent ink to the recording medium and an achromatic color ink recording head for jetting a photocurable achromatic color ink to the recording medium; a plurality of light emitting devices for emitting light to cure the photocurable ink on the recording medium; a scanning device which accommodates the first head group and the second head group and which scans the head groups in the scanning direction; and a conveying device for conveying the recording medium in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the scanning device; wherein the first head group and the second head group are aligned in the scanning direction; wherein no light emitting device is interposed between any of the plurality of the chromatic color ink recording heads of the first head group such that the chromatic color inks jetted from the chromatic color ink recording heads are superimposed and mixed without being cured; wherein one of the light emitting devices is arranged between the first head group and the second head group to cure the ink jetted from one of the first head group and the second head group such that ink jetted from the other of the first head group and the second head group is superimposed without mixing on the ink jetted from said one of the first head group and the second head group; and wherein another one of the light emitting devices is arranged on a trailing side, in the scanning direction, of a trailing one of the first head group and the second head group.