Printing apparatus and printing method

A printing apparatus comprising:

• a printing unit including an ejection port surface provided with a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting ink arrayed in a predetermined direction;
• a conveyance unit configured to convey a sheet in a direction intersecting with an array direction of the ejection ports and to convey a preceding sheet and a following sheet in such a manner that an overlapping portion where a trailing edge of the preceding sheet and a leading edge of the following sheet overlap each other is formed at a printing position facing the ejection port surface of the printing unit;
• and
• a control unit configured to control the printing unit such that in a case where the printing unit prints an image on the overlapping portion subsequently to the non-overlapping portion, the control unit causes the printing unit to eject ink onto the non-overlapping portion at a predetermined ejection cycle, and the control unit causes the printing unit to eject ink onto the overlapping portion at an interval greater than the predetermined ejection cycle after the printing unit ejects ink onto the non-overlapping portion.

A printing method comprising:

• conveying a preceding sheet and a following sheet in such a manner that an overlapping portion where a trailing edge of the preceding sheet and a leading edge of the following sheet overlap each other is formed;
• and
• ejecting ink onto a sheet and printing the sheet while moving a printing unit including an ejection port surface provided with a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting ink arrayed in a predetermined direction in a movement direction intersecting with the predetermined direction,
• wherein in a case where the overlapping portion of a sheet located closer to the ejection port surface at a position facing the ejection ports and a non-overlapping portion of one of the preceding sheet and the following sheet where the preceding sheet and the following sheet do not overlap each other are printed in a same movement of the printing unit, ink ejection timing according to the movement of the printing unit by a part of the plurality of ejection ports for printing the overlapping portion is delayed from ink ejection timing according to the movement of the printing unit by another part of the plurality of ejection ports for printing the non-overlapping portion.

A printing method comprising:

• conveying a preceding sheet and a following sheet in such a manner that an overlapping portion where a trailing edge of the preceding sheet and a leading edge of the following sheet overlap each other is formed;
• and
• ejecting ink from a printing unit including a plurality of ejection ports arrayed in a predetermined direction onto the preceding sheet and the following sheet conveyed in a direction intersecting with the predetermined direction and printing the preceding sheet and the following sheet,
• wherein in printing an image on the overlapping portion subsequently to a non-overlapping portion where the trailing edge of the preceding sheet and the leading edge of the following sheet do not overlap each other by the printing unit, ejecting ink onto the non-overlapping portion at a predetermined ejection cycle, and the printing unit ejects ink onto the overlapping portion at an interval greater than the predetermined ejection cycle after the printing unit ejects ink onto the non-overlapping portion.