a recording apparatus according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention the printer includes a sheet feeding unit 101 a printing unit and a discharging unit 102 the sheet feeding unit 101 stores and supplies a sheet recording medium wound in a roll the printing unit includes print heads 105 to 108 and records an image on the sheet being conveyed the printing unit also includes a plurality of conveyance rollers 103 and 104 that convey the sheet the print head is a line type print head equipped with recording elements arranged in a range to cover a maximum width of sheet assumed to be used each print head has four rows that is row a row b row c and row d of recording elements nozzle arrays in which a plurality of recording elements nozzles are aligned more specifically one print head for one color has four recording element arrays as illustrated in fig2 the print heads 105 to 108 are arranged in the x direction in each recording element array a plurality of recording elements is aligned in the y direction in the present exemplary embodiment four print heads are arranged in the order of k black c cyan m magenta and y yellow from an upstream side of a sheet conveyance direction the number of colors and the print heads is not limited to four the print head may be formed by arranging a plurality of chips on which a plurality of the nozzle arrays is arranged in a staggered pattern in the present exemplary embodiment a type of the recording element is a heating element however the recording element may be.