An ink jet apparatus carries out a recovery operation if a cap member is not capping a discharge opening when the ink jet apparatus is turned on. The recovery operation includes first wiping a discharge surface with a wiper member, next capping the discharge opening with the cap member, next applying suction to draw ink from the discharge opening using a suction pump, and thereafter discharging ink through the discharge opening, thereby enabling recording of high quality at the beginning of recording after the ink jet apparatus is turned on. The recovery operation may include other steps and be preceded by heating the ink jet head to reduce ink viscosity and enhance the effectiveness of the recovery operation.