Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Satoko Furuyama

Kei Kosaka

Tomoyuki Tenkawa

Monta Matsui

An inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording head including a first discharge port configured to discharge a first amount of ink droplets and a second discharge port configured to discharge a second amount of ink droplets smaller than the first amount, a cap, a suction unit, and a determination unit configured to determine whether to perform a first recording operation by using the first and second discharge ports or a second recording operation by only using the first discharge port. If the first recording operation is determined to be performed, the suction unit performs a first suction operation with a first strength and a second suction operation with a second strength higher than the first strength. If the second recording operation is determined to be performed, the suction unit is controlled not to perform the second suction operation and to perform the first suction operation.

Inkjet recording apparatus and cleaning method

An ink-jet printing apparatus includes a print head having a first discharge port and a second discharge port, a cap, a suction unit connected to the cap for sucking ink from the print head, and a determining unit which determines one to be performed by the print head between a first printing operation using the first and second discharge ports and a second printing operation using the first discharge port only, wherein before the first printing operation, the suction unit is controlled to perform first and second suction operations sucking at different strengths. A storing unit further provided therein stores history information indicating the past performance of that the first printing operation. Before the second printing operation, the suction unit is controlled to perform the first suction operation only and, based on the history information after the printing operation, perform the second suction operation.

Growing community of inventors

Kawasaki, Japan

Satoko Furuyama