Abstract: A self-cleaning ink jet printer with cleaning mechanism and method of cleaning the ink jet printer. The printer comprises a print head having a surface thereon surrounding a plurality of ink ejection orifices. The orifices are in communication with respective ones of a plurality of ink channels formed in the print head. A solvent delivering canopy is constructed from alternating stacked layers of polyimide and stainless steel sheets with internal geometries, one on top of each other, thus creating internal fluidic passageways. The canopy is connected to a manifold body and has a passageway alignable with the surface. Contaminant residing on the surface is entrained in the solvent when a wiper blade loosens contaminant from the surface. Per an applied vacuum, the canopy vacuums the solvent and entrained contaminant from the surface.