Patent ID: 6964476

Claim:
An ink-jet recording apparatus comprising: an ink-jet head that has an ink ejection surface on which a plurality of nozzles are arrayed; a medium carrier that forms a carrying surface on which a record medium is carried; a carriage that mounts the ink-jet head such that the ink ejection surface confronts the carrying surface; a carriage drive mechanism that includes a plurality of parallel guide rods supporting the carriage and extending across a direction where the record medium is carried by the medium carrier, the carriage drive mechanism reciprocating the carriage along the guide rods; and a guide shift mechanism that shifts the plurality of guide rods in a direction where a gap between the ink ejection surface and the carrying surface varies, the guide shift mechanism including: gears, each gear supporting one of the guide rods at an eccentric position and having a center of rotation at a position different from the eccentric position, a rotation of the gears causing the guide rods to shift; and a slidable torquer having a rack directly engaged with the gears, and imparting a torque to the gears to rotate the gears.