To prevent ink from being left on the tube wall of an ink passage after it is cleaned by cleaning the ink passage in a recording head and the ink passage communicating with the recording head effectively.

A recording head (52) is connected through a tube (53) with a solenoid valve (56) and the tube (53) is fed selectively with air, ink or cleaning liquid through the solenoid valve (56). At the time of forming an image by means of the recording head (52), the recording head (52) ejects ink drops from nozzles to an imaging medium controllably within an imaging range thus forming an image on the imaging medium. At the time of cleaning the inside of the recording head (52), the recording head (52) is pressure fed with high pressure cleaning liquid and high pressure air alternately through the solenoid valve (56) and ink remaining in the recording head (52) and the tube (53) is washed away along with air and cleaning liquid.