Image recording apparatus with print head having plural light emitting elements

An image recording apparatus for recording image on a photosensitive material, comprising:

• a vacuum fluorescent printing head having a vacuum tube in which electrodes and a plurality of light emitting phosphor elements provided for emitting light to the photosensitive material are incorporated, wherein when image recording is conducted based on image data, the electrodes are applied with electric voltages in accordance with the image data so as to emit electrons which collide onto surfaces of the light emitting phosphor elements so that the light emitting phosphor elements emit light, and wherein when image recording is not conducted, the surfaces of the light emitting phosphor elements are covered with gas remaining in the vacuum tube;
• a shifting device for shifting the photosensitive material relatively to the vacuum fluorescent printing head so that an image is recorded on the photosensitive material with light emitted from the light emitting phosphor elements;
• and
• a controller for controlling the vacuum fluorescent printing head so that the vacuum fluorescent printing head conducts a preliminary light emission wherein all of said light emitting phosphor elements are illuminated by applying electric voltages based on preset emission data onto the electrodes for at least two seconds before image recording based on image data so as to remove gas from the surfaces of the light emitting phosphor elements.