To provide a recording apparatus and a method for controlling carriage scanning whereby recording can be carried out in a shorter recording time for every recording pattern to be recorded.

A carriage move time required for a carriage to move from an end position where a pervious line is finished to be recorded to a start position where a next line is started to be recorded is compared for every recording pattern with a paper feed time required for sending a predetermined amount of paper after the previous line is finished to be recorded. When the carriage move time is smaller than the paper feed time, the carriage travel is controlled in a manner that the carriage is once decelerated and stopped after the previous line is finished to be recorded, kept waiting for a predetermined time and then accelerated to reach the start position at a predetermined velocity so that the carriage travel to the start position after the previous line is finished to be recorded completes simultaneously with the feeding the predetermined amount of paper. Recording can be carried out in a shortest required time for every recording pattern in this manner.