Recording apparatus and method

A recording apparatus, comprising:

• a recording control unit configured to perform recording on a recording region of a recording material that is transported in a sub-scanning direction;
• a carriage that reciprocates on the recording material in a main scanning direction orthogonal to the sub-scanning direction;
• and
• a first recording-material sensor provided in the carriage, the sensor configured to detect a leading edge of the recording material and further configured to detect right and left side edges of the recording material when the carriage moves on the recording material in a main-scanning direction;
• wherein, when a margin is formed at least at a leading end of the recording material:
• the recording control unit is configured to calculate a position of a center of the recording material based on positions of the right and left side edges of the recording material;
• the recording material is transported upstream in the sub-scanning direction so that the recording edge thereof temporarily comes out of detection range of the first recording-material sensor;
• the first recording-material sensor is configured to detect a center leading edge of the recording material at the position of the center of the recording material after the recording material is transported downstream in the sub-scanning direction;
• and
• the recording control unit is configured to perform recording on the recording region with reference to the center leading edge of the recording material;
• and
• wherein, when a margin is not formed at least at the leading end of the recording material:
• the recording control unit is configured to determine a preceding leading edge from the right and left leading edges on the basis of a detection result of the first recording-material sensor when the first recording-material sensor is moved with the carriage on the recording material in the main-scanning direction from one side of the recording material to an other side of the recording material;
• and
• the recording control unit is configured to perform recording on the recording region with reference to the preceding leading edge of the recording material determined by the recording control unit.