Image recording apparatus and method of detecting ejection failure in pre-processing agent ejection nozzles in image recording apparatus

Abstract

The ejection positions of a plurality of pre-processing agent ejection nozzles and the ejection positions of a plurality of ink ejection nozzles as seen in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of a recording medium are in a one-to-one correspondence with each other. A controller causes the process of ejecting ink of a first color from the ink ejection nozzles onto the recording medium subjected to the ejection from the plurality of pre-processing agent ejection nozzles so as to form a failure detection printing pattern which is a printing pattern formed by providing a time lag between the processes of ejecting the ink from adjacent ones of the plurality of ink ejection nozzles. An ejection failure in the pre-processing agent ejection nozzles is detected by judging that a pre-processing agent ejection nozzle corresponding to a region where bleeding results suffers the ejection failure.