Printing apparatus and printing method

A printing apparatus comprising:

• a transport unit configured to transport a printing medium in a transport direction;
• a printing head including a plurality of nozzles configured to discharge ink;
• and
• a control unit configured to control the transport unit and the printing head to print, on the printing medium, a test pattern for inspecting a state of ink discharge by the nozzles, wherein
• the test pattern includes a first pattern element group in which a plurality of pattern elements to be printed by the nozzles are arranged in the transport direction, and a second pattern element group in which a plurality of pattern elements to be printed by the plurality of nozzles are arranged in the transport direction, and
• after the control unit causes the transport unit to transport, by a distance equal to or greater than a nozzle pitch, the printing medium printed with the first pattern element group by causing the nozzles to discharge the ink, the control unit prints the second pattern element group on the printing medium by causing the plurality of nozzles used to print the first pattern element group to discharge the ink, the nozzle pitch being an interval, in the transport direction, between the nozzles.