Ink jet printer

An ink jet recording apparatus comprising:

• a guide rail extending in a first direction;
• an ink head that slidably engages with the guide rail, and discharges an ultraviolet light curable ink toward a recoding medium;
• an ultraviolet light irradiation device that is attached to the ink head to move together with the ink head and that irradiates ultraviolet light to the ultraviolet light curable ink discharged from the ink head onto the recording medium;
• a second head that slidably engages with the guide rail;
• a carriage that moves along the guide rail;
• a first connection mechanism that detachably connects the carriage with the ink head;
• and
• a second connection mechanism that detachably connects the carriage with the second head;
• wherein the second head is connected to and disconnected from the carriage at a home position located at an end portion of the guide rail, and stands by at the home position when the second head is not connected to the carriage, and is equipped with an irradiation prohibition mechanism that prohibits the irradiation by the ultraviolet light irradiation device based on a predetermined condition relating to a position of the second head, and
• wherein the irradiation prohibition mechanism detects whether the second head is at the home position and the second connection mechanism does not connect the carriage with the second head, and prohibits the irradiation by the ultraviolet light irradiation device upon detecting the second head is not at the home position and the second connection mechanism connects the carriage with the second head.