Ink jet recording apparatus having a heat fixing mechanism

Claim 1

An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a full-line ink jet recording head having discharge ports disposed across a conveyance route of a sheet of a recording medium, said discharge ports having associated therewith a plurality of recording elements for discharging ink onto said recording medium to form a recorded surface thereof; a conveying mechanism disposes to convey said recording medium along the conveyance route adjacent said recording head; a fixing unit for applying heat at a location in the conveyance route, said fixing unit having first heat generating means for applying heat to said recorded surface and second heat generating means for applying heat to a reverse surface of said recording medium opposite said recorded surface, wherein no portion of said first heat generating means contacts said recording medium; blowing means for blowing air from said first heat generating means to said location in the conveyance route to apply heat to said recorded surface and to force at least a portion of said second heat generating means into contact with said reverse surface of said recording medium; and timer means for delaying a commencement of an operation of said blowing means after a commencement of energization of said first heat generating means.