Abstract: There is provided a small, low-cost, and highly reliable ink jet printing apparatus capable of performing a recovery operation smoothly and forming an image with a stabilized quality. More specifically, when a suction recovery operation for a printing head for ejecting ink is performed, an ejection port surface of the printing head is covered with a cap member, and a cap opening help operation that facilitates the cap opening operation is performed when performing a cap opening operation that separates the cap member from the ejection port surface.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus includes: a transport unit that transports a record medium; a print head having a plurality of nozzles that ejects ink, thereby forming an image on the record medium; a first recovery ejection unit that performs recovery ejection of nozzles used for forming an image on the record medium; and a second recovery ejection unit that performs recovery ejection of at least one of the plurality of nozzles in accordance with a time elapsed from a previous recovery ejection.

Abstract: The present invention provides an ink-jet type recording apparatus that accurately compute the remaining amount of waste liquid, thereby utilizing a waste-liquid absorbing function of the waste liquid absorber at a maximum and prevent the waste liquid from leaking outside the apparatus. The ink-jet type recording apparatus includes a first remaining amount counter for managing a remaining amount A of waste liquid of which an evaporation amount is computed based on time information acquired from a host, a second remaining amount counter for managing a remaining amount B of waste liquid of which an evaporation amount is computed in case where there is not time information from the host, and an overflow deciding unit for accurately deciding the remaining amount of waste liquid by adding A and B when computing the total amount of waste liquid in a waste liquid absorber.

Abstract: In an inkjet printing apparatus which includes a printhead that discharges ink and an ink tank detachably attached to the printhead, and executes printing by using the printhead that discharges the ink supplied from the ink tank, an ink tank detection section detects the presence/absence of the ink tank. On the basis of the detection result, a control circuit inhibits the cleaning operation of the printhead.

Abstract: An ink jet recording process having the steps of applying an image formation ink and a clear ink one over the other onto a recording medium with a recording head to form a mixed dot, and detecting dot omission, in which the presence or absence of dot omission of the clear ink is judged by measuring the diameter of the mixed dot. Also, an ink jet recording process having the steps of applying an image formation ink and a reactive clear ink one over the other onto a recording medium with a recording head to form a mixed dot, and detecting dot omission, the presence of absence of dot omission of the reactive clear ink is judged by measuring the image density of the mixed dot. Ink jet recording apparatus for conducting these ink jet recording processes are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method for removing liquid in a gap of an ink jet printhead comprising a drop generator, with an outlet valve, orifice plate and charge plate, wherein a cross flush valve is additionally used to form a cross flush pressure in the drop generator, then actuators are used to vibrate the drop generator to a defined amplitude, then the outlet valve is closed to form a pressure spike in the drop generator then the pressure in the drop generator is lowered to a recommended operating pressure to establish a jet array and the system is operated until the gap is substantially free of liquid with dissolved residue.

Abstract: An inkjet printer driving a maintenance apparatus using a power to a feed roller. In the inkjet printer, the maintenance of the maintenance apparatus is started by a carriage. The maintenance apparatus includes a maintenance member which cleans and covers the nozzle of a print head, a maintenance cam which controls the maintenance member through a rotating motion, a maintenance gear which is disposed at one end of the maintenance cam and has a cut off portion in which a part of gear teeth is partially cut off in a face width direction, and a connection gear disposed on a shaft of the feed roller to be able to move in a shaft direction by the carriage and transmit the power of the feed roller. During the printing operation of the carriage, the connection gear is placed on the cut off portion, and then engaged with the teeth of the maintenance gear disposed adjacent to the cut off portion by the pushing of the carriage.

Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting head having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting a liquid drop formed at a lower face thereof, a wiping member wiping an opening portion of the nozzle, a carriage mounted with the liquid ejecting head, and moving in a horizontal direction relative to the wiping member; and an inclined plate mounted on the carriage at a predetermined space from the liquid ejecting head, and formed with an inclined face having a rising inclination as being far from the liquid ejecting head. A projected portion is provided on at least one of the liquid ejecting head and the inclined plate such that an opening portion at a lower side of the space is smaller than an upper portion of the space.

Abstract: An example conventional method of avoiding a printing failure caused by residual bubbles in a print head involves counting from an initiation of a printing operation the accumulated number of print dots formed by the entire print head and, when the count value reaches a predetermined value, executing a recovery operation. Such a conventional method, however, requires the recovery operation to be performed frequently by selecting a threshold value for the worst condition. To solve this problem, the nozzles in the long print head are divided into a plurality of blocks, the accumulated number of print dots is counted for each block, the count value multiplied by a weighting value, which is determined according to the position of the block, is compared with a predetermined threshold, and, when at least one of the weighted count values exceeds the predetermined threshold, the recovery operation is executed.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus comprises: a line type recording head which is arranged so that a longitudinal direction thereof is substantially orthogonal to a conveyance direction of a recording medium; a suction pipe which is disposed in parallel with the recording head and connected to a suctioning device; a rotating body which is supported rotatably on an outer circumference of the suction pipe and has a first opening section and a second opening section; a platen which is arranged in the first opening section of the rotating body movably in parallel with the conveyance direction of the recording medium; and a cap member which is arranged in the second opening section of the rotating body and adapted to cap nozzles of the recording head, wherein the recording medium is suctioned onto the platen and parallelly moved along a conveyance path in a state where the first opening section of the rotating body is connected to the suction pipe.

Abstract: In discharge recovery processing, a continuous sheet 23 is moved from a facing position facing a head portion 21 to a first position (in the down direction in the drawing) as an evacuating position in the discharge recovery processing, thereafter, a discharge recovery processing unit 22 in the standby mode at a second position (in the up direction in the drawing) different from the facing position is moved to the facing position, and the discharge recovery processing is performed. In the discharge recovery processing, the head unit 21 is not moved and therefore the preferable positional reproducibility is obtained after ending the discharge recovery processing.

Abstract: This invention relates to a process for cleaning an inkjet printing head which has nozzle openings and ink channels which lead to them, in which electrical drive elements for ejecting ink out of the nozzle openings are located, in which the nozzle openings and the ink channels are forcibly flushed with cleaning liquid. To achieve improved cleaning action more gently and less expensively, the drive elements are triggered in an oscillating manner during the forced flushing with cleaning liquid. A cleaning device for carrying out this process is also disclosed.

Abstract: The apparatus has valve units capable of blocking respectively liquid feed paths connecting a liquid storage unit and a liquid jet head, and control unit. The control unit has a function for executing a pressure reduction step of putting the valve unit corresponding to the kind of liquid to be cleaned into an open state, simultaneously putting the other valve units into a closed state, exhausting a closed space formed by a capping unit with the head and generating a negative pressure state therein, a totally-closing step of switching the valve unit in the open state to the closed state and putting all the valve units into the closed state almost simultaneously with stopping exhausting or immediately before it, and a totally-opening step of putting all the valve units into the open state after a lapse of a predetermined time. Cleaning is executed only for a specific kind of liquid free of obstacles.

Abstract: A droplet ejection apparatus is provided having a plurality of droplet ejection heads each ejecting liquid within a cavity through a nozzle in the form of droplets by driving an actuator with a driving circuit. The apparatus includes: ejection failure detecting means for detecting an ejection failure of the droplet ejection heads and a cause thereof; and recovery means for performing a recovery process depending on the cause of the ejection failure if the ejection failure detecting means detects the ejection failure when the droplets are ejected through the nozzles. Also, if a failing nozzle is detected, a recovery process is performed depending on the cause of the ejection failure at least for the failing nozzle. Thereafter, detection by the ejection failure detecting means is repeated by forcing the failing nozzle to perform a droplet ejection operation alone.

Abstract: In a maintenance method of an inkjet printer comprising an air discharge device which discharges air accumulated in ink supply paths with pressurized air and an ink vacuum device which vacuums ink from an inkjet head, the pressurized air is in a high pressure mode when the air discharge device is used. The pressurized air is in a low pressure mode when the ink vacuum device is used. The driving time and the rotational speed of a drive motor which drives an air pump are controlled according to the capability and the ambient temperature of the air pump which generates the pressurized air.

Abstract: When there are two kinds of caps that protect nozzle faces of print heads—a protective cap with no suction mechanism and a suction cap with a suction mechanism—and if a time during which the print heads are left idle is within a predetermined time, each print head protected by the protective cap performs 5,000 idle ejections during the idle ejection operation executed prior to initiating a printing operation. Each print head protected by the suction cap performs 100 idle ejections during the idle ejection operation. By setting the number of idle ejections for print heads protected by the protective caps to be greater, it is possible to keep all the print heads in good condition at all times whether they are protected by the suction caps or protective caps.

Abstract: In cleaning an orifice surface in which the orifices of a printhead are formed, a portion of the orifice surface that readily becomes dirty along with ink discharge from the printhead is preferentially cleaned.

Abstract: In a liquid-discharging apparatus, the work volume of a cleaning roller of a liquid-discharging head and the work volume of a waste-liquid receiver of a head cap are displayed. A dot array or a dot is formed by discharging a predetermined liquid from a plurality of liquid-discharging nozzles provided on a nozzle surface of the liquid-discharging head. The liquid-discharging apparatus includes a roller-wiping-count storage unit for storing the accumulated work volume of the cleaning roller during a period from the beginning of use to the present time, an idle-discharging-count storage unit for storing the accumulated work volume of the waste-liquid receiver during the period, and an information output unit that receives the work volumes from the storage units, and that outputs both of or the higher one of the work volumes.

Abstract: This invention provides a small and simple construction to drive a mechanism for maintaining a printing performance of a print head. In one preferred mode of the invention, a recovery device to maintain the printing performance of the print head has a suction pump unit, a capping unit and a wiping unit. The suction pump unit is driven through a spring clutch mechanism by an LF motor in the print sheet transport unit as a drive source. The capping unit and the wiping unit are driven by an AP motor as a drive source in a rotary dead zone set for a paper feed unit that feeds the print sheet to a transport unit. A piston pump is suited for use in a recovery operation to maintain the function of the print head.

Abstract: A printer that includes at least one printhead mounted to a carriage of a printing system, and a secondary ink container mounted to the carriage and which holds an ink and is in fluid communication with the at least one printhead. A pressure source in fluid communication with the secondary ink container provides a pressure to the secondary ink container during a purging operation to cause the ink to flow from the at least one printhead. The secondary ink container has a large enough volume to hold a sufficient amount of ink for a purge operation of at least about seven seconds. The secondary ink container has a minimum ink level, and an inlet that is located below the minium ink level so as to minimize aeration of the ink as it flows through the inlet.

Abstract: In such a manner that ink in each of a plurality of pressure chambers for holding the ink therein is brought to a positive pressure state of being ejected from respective nozzles respectively communicating with the respective chambers to the outside of each of the pressure chambers, a cleaning member abutted against a nozzle plate formed with a plurality of nozzles is moved along the nozzles in a state in which pressure is applied to all of the pressure chambers, to thereby extrude foreign particles outside the pressure chambers by the ink ejected from the respective nozzles to the outside of the pressure chambers, thereby making it possible to recover the ink, whereby the occurrence of a delivery failure due to the foreign particles around the nozzles being absorbed into the pressure chambers, can be prevented, and the foreign particles contained in the ink can be purged without consuming much ink needlessly.

Abstract: An ink jet printer includes a carriage having a recording head for jetting ultraviolet curable ink and an ultraviolet irradiating device for curing an ink jetted on the recording medium with irradiation of ultraviolet rays such that an image is formed by scanning the carriage; and a maintenance unit for performing maintenance on the recording head at predetermined timing. It also includes a control section for controlling the maintenance unit so as to be converted to a masking state which becomes a head maintenance disabling state when an image is formed, and for controlling the maintenance unit so as to be converted to a non-masking state which becomes a head maintenance enabling state after securing a non-irradiating state in which the ultraviolet rays are not irradiated on the maintenance unit, by a function provided by a unit other than the maintenance unit when the head maintenance is performed.

Abstract: Aerosol emissions within an inkjet printer are reduced. A printhead of the inkjet printer is fired using a first set of firing conditions when firing conditions are critical for printing performance. When firing conditions are not critical for printing performance, the printhead is fired using a second set of firing conditions. The second set of firing conditions is optimized to provide reduction of aerosol jets.

Abstract: A recording head cartridge is mounted on a carriage scanning in a forward direction and in a backward direction along the width direction of a recording medium. The fan of an ink mist collecting section produces an airflow and collects ink mist generated when ink is discharged. When the carriage scans in the forward direction, an image is formed and the fan is not operated and when the carriage scans in the backward direction, the image is not formed and the fan is operated to collect the ink mist.

Abstract: A preliminary ejection operation, which ejects ink not contributing to an image forming from ejection openings of the print head, is performed following the wiping of a face of the print head to remove residual ink from the print head face while minimizing the amount of ink ejected by the preliminary ejection. This avoids a degradation of an ink ejection performance of the print head and thereby ensures a high quality of printed image. For this purpose, in performing the preliminary ejection operation following the print head wiping operation, one preferred example changes the number of ink droplets to be ejected by the preliminary ejection operation according to a cumulative count of wiping operations.

Abstract: A swath printing system and under/overprinting method compensate for the effects of defective printing elements by adjusting the under/overprinting map used during printing regions of a uniform color, typically black, to minimize the adverse impact on print quality of unprinted “white space” caused by the defective printing elements. A printing element quality detector determines which printing elements are functional and which are defective. Based on this information, a print controller then selects or constructs an under/overprinting map having under/overprinting pixel positions chosen to reduce these adverse effects on print quality caused by the defective printing elements, thus maintaining high image quality for the printed output.

Abstract: An incremental printer comprising a plurality of printing elements arranged to print different portions of an image, the printer being arranged, prior to printing an image, to identify elements that are not required for printing the image and to implement an element servicing routine, the printer being arranged to exclude one or more of the identified elements from the servicing routine.

Abstract: An ink jet head cleaning apparatus is provided which includes a wiping unit which performs a wiping operation for a nozzle surface of an ink jet head and a suction unit which performs a sucking operation for the nozzle surface. An operation OFF condition of the wiping unit and an operation OFF condition of the suction unit is detected, and the wiping unit and the suction unit are actuated selectively in accordance with the operation OFF condition thus detected. If an elapsed time after the wiping operation is longer than a first predetermined time, the wiping unit is actuated, and if an elapsed time after the sucking operation is longer than a second predetermined time, the suction unit is actuated. The first predetermined time is longer than the second predetermined time.

Abstract: The present invention provides an ink jet printing apparatus and a preliminary ejecting method. In both a full-line and a serial printer, the amount of ink passing through nozzles of print heads is sometimes decreased below a normal value before and during actual printing, In the printer of present invention, a preliminary ejecting operation is performed taking the opportunity in which the amount of ink passing through nozzles is decreased below a normal value. Then, the amount of ink passing through nozzles recovers to the normal value at an ink ejection after the preliminary ejecting operation. Since only a small amount of ink is ejected through the nozzles during the preliminary ejection operation, dots formed on a print sheet are not noticeable. Further, it is unnecessary to move the print heads to a home position where an ejection recovering process is executed to remove ink having an increase viscosity.

Abstract: A carriage driving apparatus that drives a carriage of a printer or the like by a motor and a motor control method for controlling the motor can substantially eliminate variation in control accuracy among individual apparatuses. Each set of various parameters are determined with respect to each ultimate target speed of the carriage and each moving direction, and contained in a table. Three kinds of tables, i.e. a table for heavy load, a table for light load and a table for standard load in accordance with the difference in load applied to individual drive systems of the carriage, as well as one kind of table for low temperature are prepared and stored on a ROM. It is determined which of the three kinds of tables should be selected at normal temperature by actually driving the carriage in the final step of the manufacturing process.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus is structured to perform discharges in the capping status when preliminary discharges are performed in a shot number larger than a predetermined number, and perform discharges in a cap or a preparatory port other than the cap when the preliminary discharges are performed in a shot number less than the predetermined number. With the structure thus arranged, it is made possible to implement the suppression of the mist generation due to the preliminary discharges, and to make the time of recording on a recording medium shorter as well.

Abstract: An ink jet printer includes a recording head having nozzles for jetting ink onto a recording medium, an intermediate tank for temporarily storing ink in a lower position of the recording head, and an ink supply line for feeding the ink between the intermediate tank and the recording head, wherein when a viscosity of the ink is ? and pressure loss which allows the ink to be stably jetted is h, a length L and a diameter d of the ink supply line satisfy an inequality: (2.823×109×d4)/L>?/h.

Abstract: A printing apparatus and a preliminary discharge control method are capable of efficient preliminary discharge control even in a case where a time interval to assure normal printing is equal or nearly equal to the period of one print scanning of an inkjet printhead. In the method, in an inkjet printhead which performs printing by discharging ink from plural print elements while being reciprocate-scanned by a carriage, the number of ink dischargings from each of the plural print elements is counted during print scanning by reciprocate scanning. It is determined whether or not the counted number of ink dischargings from each of the plural print elements is equal to or greater than a predetermined number at predetermined intervals. In accordance with the result of determination, a printable period is updated, and the updated printable period is compared with time necessary for the next print scanning upon completion of one print scanning by reciprocate scanning.

Abstract: An ink jet printer having therein a controller including a warning function to warn a user of deterioration of a cleaning wiper for a jetting head, the cleaning wiper rubbing a jetting plane of the jetting head having the jetting plane on which a jetting port for jetting liquid to be jetted is provided, and thereby removing jetted liquid sticking to the jetting plane.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus having capping control means which, if a dot number counted by a count means reaches or exceeds a second threshold value smaller than a first threshold value and if a waiting time measured by a measuring means reaches or exceeds a first predetermined waiting time, covers an ink discharge surface of an ink jet recording head with a cap, and wiping control means which, if the dot number counted by the count means exceeds the first threshold value, wipes the ink discharge surface of the ink jet recording head with a wiper, and, if the waiting time measured by the measuring means reaches or exceeds a second predetermined waiting time longer than the first predetermined waiting time during the capping, wipes the ink discharge surface of the ink jet recording head with the wiper.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for using existing envelope feeding machines to print IBIP indicium, and CASS approved address information and bar code information. The invention is shown to include a print head operative in response to a print signal and a controller, electrically connected to the print head, for generating the necessary print signal. A frame defining a printing attachment mechanism adapted for being positioned proximate the feeding machine is provided for attachment of the print head oriented so that envelopes traveling along the feed path will pass proximate the print head. It is preferred for the printing attachment mechanism to include a plurality of print heads. In an alternative embodiment, the controller is operative in response to a control signal and a computer is provided for generating the control signal.

Abstract: The apparatus has valve units capable of blocking respectively liquid feed paths connecting a liquid storage unit and a liquid jet head, and control unit. The control unit has a function for executing a pressure reduction step of putting the valve unit corresponding to the kind of liquid to be cleaned into an open state, simultaneously putting the other valve units into a closed state, exhausting a closed space formed by a capping unit with the head and generating a negative pressure state therein, a totally-closing step of switching the valve unit in the open state to the closed state and putting all the valve units into the closed state almost simultaneously with stopping exhausting or immediately before it, and a totally-opening step of putting all the valve units into the open state after a lapse of a predetermined time. Cleaning is executed only for a specific kind of liquid free of obstacles.

Abstract: A full-line type printing apparatus having plural printheads which simultaneously performs printing processing using a printhead within a printing area of a print medium and preliminary discharge processing on a printhead without the printing area of the print medium in a stable manner. For this purpose, upon printing by the respective printheads based on received print data, electric power supplied to the respective printheads are calculated, and it is determined whether or not the sum of electric power supplied to simultaneously driven printheads is within a threshold value. If the sum is greater than the threshold value, a flag is set. Next, upon print-output of the print data, the existence/absence of the flag is checked, and if the flag is not set, normal printing is performed, while if the flag is set, a printhead driving frequency is changed before printing.

Abstract: A pressure generator is driven to eject ink droplets from a nozzle orifice such that a plurality of flushing operations are intermittently repeated with a first time interval, when a recording operation of a recording head is not performed. Each flushing operation includes a plurality of ink ejections repeated for a predetermined times with a second time interval which is shorter than the first time interval. The ink near the nozzle orifice is residually vibrated between the flushing operations, so that the viscous ink is diffused and the viscous ink is effectively expelled.

Abstract: An ink cartridge for an ink jet type printing apparatus having a print head, the ink cartridge including: a container having an ink chamber for containing ink therein; an ink supply port for ejecting the ink from the ink chamber to the print head; a memory device for storing data related to the ink or the ink cartridge, the memory device has an area in which the data is stored in a rewritable manner; and a contact device enabling the transmission of data between the memory device and an external device. The memory device may include data indicative of the history of the ink cartridge which may be utilized to control a reproduction of the ink cartridge.

Abstract: There is provided an inkjet printing device, which is provided with an inkjet head and an ejection restoring system. The ejection restoring system includes a sucking device, a sucking device moving mechanism, a wiping member, a wiping member moving mechanism, and a driving system that drives the sucking device and the wiping member through the sucking device moving mechanism and the wiping member moving mechanism so that one of the sucking device and the wiping member is not driven if the sucking device and the wiping member interfere with each other. The driving system includes a first position detecting system that outputs a first state signal indicating that the sucking device and the wiping member interfere with each other and outputs a second state signal indicating that the sucking device and the wiping member do not interfere with each other, and a controller that controls at least one of the sucking device and the wiping member based on an output of the first position detecting system.

Abstract: A printhead re-capping assembly for a printer having a chassis, a platen assembly and a pagewidth printhead operatively mounted on the chassis to carry out a printing operation on print media passing over the platen assembly includes a base structure that is mounted on the chassis. At least one static solenoid is mounted on the base structure and is connected to an electrical power supply of the printer. A support member is actuable by the solenoid to be movable with respect to the chassis between an operative position and an inoperative position. A printhead capping member is mounted on the support member such that when the support member is in the operative position, the capping member engages the printhead to cap the printhead and when the support member is in the inoperative position, the capping member is disengaged from the printhead.

Abstract: An inkjet printer adapted to sense type of supplied consumable receiver media, inks, printhead, and cleaning fluid. A transponder attached to a consumable is coupled to a memory device capable of storing information characteristic of the consumable. A transceiver is disposed within the inkjet printer, with antennae disposed for polling an individual transponder attached to each consumable. The transponder is capable of receiving a first RF frequency electromagnetic field from the transceiver and deriving power and address information from the first frequency, then generating a second RF frequency electromagnetic field in response, where the second electromagnetic field is characteristic of the data stored in memory. As instructed by a machine control logic processor, the transceiver can both read manufacturing data from the transponder about the consumable and write usage and processing data to the transponder for storage in memory.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus comprises a cleaning member cylindrically formed of a material having elasticity, a moving mechanism for moving both the peripheral face of the cleaning member and the ink discharge face of the print head relative one to another, with both in contact one with another, and a driving control unit for controlling the driving of the moving mechanism. Each time a predetermined number of sheets of the recording medium have images formed thereupon, or each time a predetermined amount of time elapses, following starting of the operations for forming images, the image formation operations are temporarily interrupted, and the moving mechanism is driven under the control of the driving control unit, and the peripheral face of the cleaning member is moved over the surface of the ink discharge face while in contact therewith, thereby suctioning the ink within the ink discharge orifices.

Abstract: A method for selecting a servicing routine for servicing of an inkjet print head of an inkjet printer comprises the steps of receiving a first print job with a first time information representing time information about the first print job, storing the first time information and switching off the printer, after the first time information has been stored. Later on the method according to the present invention proceeds with the steps of switching on the printer again, receiving a second print job with a second time information representing the time information of the second print job, storing the second time information, determining the time difference between the first time information and the second time information and selecting a desired print head servicing routine depending on the time difference.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for servicing a pen in an inkjet printing device includes receiving a print job, determining a level of print quality required for the print job, detecting the operating characteristics of a number of nozzles to be used to print the print job; and, in the event that the operating characteristics of the nozzles are sufficient to meet the level of print quality, printing the print job. A maintenance procedure may be scheduled in the event that an individual one of the nozzles is not fully functional. In addition, the maintenance procedure may be scheduled to be performed during a time when the inkjet printing device is idle.

Abstract: A liquid jetting apparatus includes a liquid jetting head which ejects an liquid droplet from a nozzle thereof, a cap member, which seals a nozzle forming face of the liquid jetting head, and a suction device, which applies a negative pressure to the nozzle forming face of the liquid jetting head in a state that the nozzle forming face is sealed with the cap member so that the liquid in the liquid jetting head is discharged. A volume of the cap member is a volume of liquid sucked by the suction device in one suction operation or larger.

Abstract: A cleaning device for cleaning a printhead of an ink-jet printer includes a cleaning blade, a cleaning blade reciprocating system, a cap member, a cap member moving system, and a first driving force supplying system. The cleaning blade reciprocating system reciprocates the cleaning blade near the printhead so that the cleaning blade wipes an ink ejecting surface of the printhead. The cap member is formed to cover at least a part of the ink ejecting surface and receive waste ink discharged from the printhead. The cap member is moved by the cap member moving system toward and away from the printhead. The cap member comes into close contact with the ink ejecting surface when moved toward to the printhead. The first driving force supplying system is selectively connected to one of the cleaning blade reciprocating system and the cap member moving system to supply driving force thereto.

Abstract: The present invention provides an ink jet recording apparatus which can maintain stable recording quality by adequately removing ink remaining on discharge ports during cleaning processing of a recording head, and a cleaning mechanism portion for such a recording apparatus. After a carriage enters into a cleaning mechanism portion and a recording head is capped by a cap, when the carriage is further shifted in an advancing direction in a capping condition, one end of the cap is opened.

Abstract: A method for determining service criteria for a printhead in a printer includes receiving an indication that service is needed, determining a calculated age of the printhead, and selecting a service procedure based on the determined calculated age. The selected service procedure has an impact on the long term life of the printhead that is proportional to the calculated age. The calculated age may be classified as a beginning of life phase, a middle of life phase or a maturity phase, and the service procedures may be selected such that the service procedure for the beginning of life phase has a low impact on the printhead's long term life, the service procedure for the middle of life phase has a moderate impact on the printhead's long term life, and the service procedure for the maturity phase has a severe impact on the printhead's long term life.