Printing apparatus and ink-consumption amount management method

An ink-consumption amount management method for a printing apparatus for performing printing by scanning a carriage to which a printhead and a replaceable ink tank, and discharging ink supplied from the replaceable ink tank by said printhead on a printing medium, based on print data received from a host, said method comprising:

• a storage step of storing ink-consumption amount information into a storage medium;
• a count step of counting a value representing a consumption amount of said ink;
• an update step of updating the ink-consumption amount information stored in said storage medium based on the value counted at said count step;
• a carriage position discrimination step of discriminating whether or not said carriage stops moving at a predetermined position of a scanning path and more than a predetermined period of time elapses at the predetermined position;
• a determination step of determining a possibility of replacement of said ink tank, based on a result of discrimination at said carriage position discrimination step;
• a storage control step of controlling storage of first consumption-amount information into said storage means upon determination of the possibility of replacement of said ink tank at said determination step;
• a notification step of notifying said host of a result of determination of the possibility of replacement of said ink tank at said determination step;
• a reception step of receiving from said host a user's confirmation as to whether or not said ink tank has been surely replaced, and of receiving from said host ink amount information on ink contained in an ink tank newly set by the replacement of said ink tank, as the result of notification at said notification step;
• and
• a change step of changing the ink-consumption amount information obtained at said update step, based on the ink-consumption amount information updated at said update step upon reception at said reception step, on the first consumption-amount information stored in said storage medium, and on the ink amount information received at said reception step.