Abstract: A spittoon system is described as an assemblage of sorbent pads that leads away from a region beneath an ink-jet printer's printhead when the latter is in its service position, with the pads' material and structure defining plural contact interface regions between successive pads, the interface regions having a plurality of hardness and sorbency characteristics. Preferably, the system includes a first sorbent pad that is spring biased into contact with a second sorbent pad. The second pad matingly engages a third pad preferably having a compatible sorbency with the second pad, but having a different hardness such that one yields to the other and the surface area of their mating expanses is maximized. Preferably, the third foam pad itself is an assemblage of two pad sections having different thicknesses, the two sections having mating fingers to produce a rabbet joint that holds them tightly in contact but permits easy assembly.