Patent ID: 7614712

Claim:
An image recording apparatus, comprising: a plurality of nozzle rows of respective colors in each of which a plurality of nozzles are arranged independently for each of inks of the respective colors, the plurality of nozzles discharging the inks onto a recording medium; a conveyance device which performs relative conveyance of the recording medium in a relative conveyance direction relatively with respect to the plurality of nozzle rows; and a fixing device which fixes the inks deposited on the recording medium from the plurality of nozzles, wherein the image recording apparatus records an image by discharging the inks of the respective colors onto the recording medium from the plurality of nozzles during the relative conveyance by the conveyance device, and the image recording apparatus further comprises: a fixing control device which controls a fixing energy E1 of the fixing device applied to the ink such that the fixing energy E1 is adjusted to vary a fixing time t 1 required for the ink discharged from the first nozzle row to become fixed in the recording medium, wherein the fixing control device controls the fixing energy E1 of the fixing device to fix the ink deposited on the recording medium in such a manner that the nozzle row separation distance S between a first nozzle row and a second nozzle row which are positioned adjacently in the plurality of nozzle rows of the respective colors and which discharge the inks in a consecutive fashion, the relative conveyance velocity V of the recording medium in the relative conveyance with respect to the plurality of nozzle rows and the fixing-time t 1 satisfy a relationship S/V>t 1 .