Printing apparatus and printing method

A printing method for printing an image on a print medium by scanning a carriage, having at least one printhead including a plurality of printing elements, and performing multi-pass printing in which one area is printed complementarily by a plurality of scans, said printing method comprising the steps of:

• dividing the plurality of printing elements into a plurality of blocks, each block being composed of substantially simultaneously driven printing elements;
• selecting at least one different block from the plurality of blocks for each scan of the multi-pass printing;
• time-divisionally driving with a unit of the selected at least one block;
• and
• controlling a moving speed of the carriage in accordance with a number of scans in the multi-pass printing.

A printing apparatus for printing an image on a print medium by scanning a carriage, having at least one printhead including a plurality of printing elements, and performing multi-pass printing in which one area is printed complementarily by a plurality of scans, said printing apparatus comprising:

• division means for dividing the plurality of printing elements into a plurality of blocks;
• selection means for selecting at least one different block from the plurality of blocks for each scan of the multi-pass printing;
• and
• driving means for time-divisionally driving with a unit of the at least one block selected by said selection means.

A printing method for printing an image on a print medium by scanning a carriage, having at least one printhead including a plurality of printing elements, and performing multi-pass printing in which one area is printed complementarily by a plurality of scans, said printing method comprising the steps of:

• dividing the plurality of printing elements into a plurality of blocks;
• selecting at least one different block from the plurality of blocks for each scan of the multi-pass printing;
• and
• time-divisionally driving with a unit of the at least one selected block.