PURPOSE: To prevent the fouling of a recording surface during the discharge of recording paper after recording by ink jet by forming a mode, where recording paper is discharged immediately after the completion of recording, and a mode where recording paper is not discharged until the discharge of recording paper is indicated even after the completion of recording.

CONSTITUTION: When recording is conducted to recording paper 2 having the inferior absorptivity of ink such as an OHP sheet, recording paper 2 is discharged immediately after a fixed time passes or the command of the discharge of recording paper from the outside is issued without being instantaneously discharged even after the completion of recording, thus preventing the fouling of the surface of recording paper on paper discharge. When recording corresponding to one page is completed, a carriage 7 is stopped, and moved at high speed toward a home position. When the carriage 7 is stopped, a special mode is decided. The decision is regarded as a normal mode when the command of printing is issued by an input from an external apparatus and as the special mode when the command of printing is issued by a printing button attached to a printer, a flag is set or reset on the reception of a command input, and the special mode is decided by the decision of the flag.