Printing apparatus and printing method

A printing apparatus comprising:

• a carriage including:
• a head including a plurality of nozzles and configured to move in a first direction along a first axis, the plurality of nozzles being configured to discharge ink toward a medium and
• a light emission unit disposed alongside the head in the first direction and configured to emit ultraviolet light toward the medium;
• and
• a control unit, wherein
• the light emission unit includes a first emission group and a second emission group arranged in a second direction, the second direction being a direction along a second axis intersecting the first axis,
• the first emission group is disposed at a position that overlaps with the plurality of nozzles in the first direction,
• the second emission group is disposed at a position that does not overlap with the plurality of nozzles in the first direction,
• the second emission group further includes:
• a third emission group located adjacent to the first emission group in the second direction and
• a fourth emission group at an opposite side from the first emission group with the third emission group being interposed between the first emission group and the fourth emission group in the second direction,
• the control unit is configured to perform a first mode in which ultraviolet light is emitted from the first emission group and the second emission group, and a second mode in which ultraviolet light is not emitted from the first emission group and ultraviolet light is emitted from the second emission group,
• in the second mode, the light emission unit is controlled such that emission intensity of ultraviolet light emitted from the third emission group is lower than emission intensity of ultraviolet light emitted from the fourth emission group,
• all emission groups that overlap the plurality of nozzles are part of the first emission group, and
• all emission groups that do not overlap the plurality of nozzles are part of the second emission group.

A printing method performed by a printing apparatus, the printing apparatus including:

• a carriage including:
• a head including a plurality of nozzles and configured to move in a first direction along a first axis, the plurality of nozzles being configured to discharge ink toward a medium and
• a light emission unit configured to move in a second direction relative to the head and emit ultraviolet light toward the medium, the second direction being a direction along a second axis intersecting the first axis,
• the light emission unit including a first emission group and a second emission group arranged in the second direction,
• the first emission group being disposed at a position that overlaps with the plurality of nozzles in the first direction,
• the second emission group being disposed at a position that does not overlap with the plurality of nozzles in the first direction, the printing method comprising
• performing a first mode in which ultraviolet light is emitted from the first emission group and the second emission group, and a second mode in which ultraviolet light is not emitted from the first emission group and ultraviolet light is emitted from the second emission group, wherein
• all emission groups that overlap the plurality of nozzles are part of the first emission group,
• all emission groups that do not overlap the plurality of nozzles are part of the second emission group,
• the light emission unit is configured to move between a first relative position and a second relative position in the second direction,
• at the second relative position of the light emission unit, a position of the first emission group is a position that overlaps with the plurality of nozzles in the first direction, and a position of the second emission group is a position that does not overlap with the plurality of nozzles in the first direction, and
• the control unit performs the first mode in a state where the light emission unit is at the first relative position, and performs the second mode in a state where the light emission unit is at the second relative position.