PRINTING APPARATUS AND PRINTING METHOD

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing apparatus which can suppress image quality degradation in a printing image. SOLUTION: In the printing apparatus, nozzles for ejecting ink of a first color are arranged in a predetermined direction in a first nozzle array, and nozzles for ejecting ink in a plurality of colors different from the first color are arranged in units of nozzles that eject the ink of the same color in the predetermined direction in a second nozzle array. The ink is ejected from nozzles in an ejection operation while moving the first nozzle array and the second nozzle array in a movement direction. The number of nozzles belonging to the first nozzle array is larger than the number of nozzles belonging to the second nozzle array for ejecting each color ink. The ink is prevented from being ejected from nozzles between a first nozzle group and a second nozzle group. The first nozzle group as a plurality of nozzles among the nozzles belonging to the first nozzle array forms a plurality of dot arrays in the movement direction in an ejection operation, which forms part of each dot array. The second nozzle group as a plurality of nozzles located on one side in a predetermined direction of the first nozzle group forms a plurality of dot arrays in another ejection operation, which forms another part of each dot array. COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT