An ink jet printing apparatus is provided in which ink absorbers, capable of performing their function to the fullest extent to quickly absorb an ink that tends to coagulate, are installed to prevent an interior of the printing apparatus and the back of a print medium from being contaminated. To this end, the printing apparatus has an ink absorber that contains a coagulation inhibitor capable of inhibiting the coagulation of colorant contained in the ink. This arrangement inhibits the coagulation of the colorant on the surface or in the interior of the absorber, allowing the colorant to be absorbed quickly and uniformly into the interior of the absorber. Therefore, problems caused by a deposition of the colorant on the surface of the absorber or by a degraded absorbing capability can be alleviated, thus keeping the image output in good condition.