A wiping member includes an elastic member and a liquid retention member. The elastic member includes a first surface and a second surface facing in different directions. The liquid retention member overlaps the elastic member over the first surface and the second surface, and has liquid retention properties.

A printing system treats the surface of three-dimensional objects to be printed to improve the printing of the articles of manufacture. The system includes a surface treatment module that is positioned to part of the printing process and to treat the object surfaces prior to the surfaces being printed. The treatment of the surfaces within the module include operating an applicator to press a portion of a cleaning membrane against the surfaces of the three-dimensional objects to remove material from the object surfaces and to retract the applicator and cleaning membrane from the object surface to enable the objects to pass by an array of printheads for printing.

A system (10) having a printing position and a non-printing position, the system (10) includes an image forming station (60) and a wiping assembly (200, 400). The image forming station (60) including at least a nozzle plate (61) having one or more nozzles (166, 166a, 166b, 166c), which are configured to apply droplets of a printing fluid onto a surface of one or more substrates (44) for producing one or more images thereon. The wiping assembly (200, 400) is at least partially positioned in a gap (141) between the nozzle plate (61) and the one or more substrates (44), and is configured, while the system (10) is in the printing position, to (i) make physical contact with the nozzle plate (61) and (ii) remove residues of the printing fluid from at least one of the nozzles (166, 166a, 166b, 166c).

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a printing apparatus that satisfactorily sucks and recovers a printhead is provided. A printing apparatus that includes a transfer member, and the first and second printheads has the following arrangement. The apparatus includes the first and second suction units which suck a plurality of nozzles of the first and second printheads, a common negative-pressure generation unit which generates a negative-pressure for suction by these suction units, and a moving unit which moves these suction units from one end to the other end of each printhead. Then, the moving unit moves the first and second suction units so as to pass through concave gaps with respect to ink discharge surfaces of the first and second printheads corresponding to the first and second suction units at different timings.

A print apparatus is disclosed. The print apparatus comprises a print fluid application unit having a plurality of nozzles through which print fluid is to be deposited onto a printable medium during a printing operation. The print apparatus also comprises a nozzle cleaning surface to engage nozzles during a nozzle cleaning operation. The print apparatus also comprises a scanning unit and a controller. The controller is to control the print fluid application unit to deposit print fluid from nozzles of the plurality of nozzles according to an intended pattern onto the nozzle cleaning surface: control the scanning unit to scan the pattern formed on the nozzle cleaning surface: and responsive to determining. based on the scan, that print fluid from a nozzle of the plurality of nozzles has not been deposited according to the intended pattern, generate an instruction signal regarding maintenance of the print fluid application unit. A method and a machine-readable medium are also disclosed.

An inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a conveyance belt, a control portion, an ink receiver, an ink discharging flow path, and a liquid supply mechanism. The recording head includes a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink. The conveyance belt has a plurality of first openings and conveys a recording medium. The control portion executes flushing in which the ink is ejected through the nozzles of the recording head to pass through any of the plurality of first openings. The ink receiver is opposite disposed to be opposed to the recording head via the conveyance belt and receives the ink that has passed through the first openings during execution of the flushing. The ink discharging flow path is connected to the ink receiver. The liquid supply mechanism supplies a liquid capable of dissolving the ink into the ink receiver.

A technology capable of detecting a state of application of a wiping liquid with high accuracy is to be provided. To a predetermined area of a wiping member that wipes an ink ejection port surface of a printing unit, a predetermined pattern is printed by the printing unit, and a wiping liquid for re-dispersing ink that has adhered to or solidified on the ejection port surface is applied by the application unit. Then, the concentration of ink on the predetermined area is detected by the detection unit.

A technology capable of efficiently using a wiping member is to be provided. A printing apparatus is equipped with: a printing unit configured with an ejection port surface on which an ejection port array with a plurality of ejection ports that ejects ink being arranged in an array is formed; a wiping unit configured with a wiping member for wiping a predetermined area including the ejection port array of the ejection port surface, so as to be capable of wiping the predetermined area by relative movement with the printing unit; an application unit configured to be capable of applying a wiping liquid for re-dispersing the ink; and a control unit configured to control the application of the wiping liquid, which is performed by the application unit to a wiping area that wipes the predetermined area, according to a adhesion amount of the ink adhering to the wiping member.

A printing apparatus includes a detection unit that is arranged to face an ejecting surface on which a plurality of nozzles of a printing head that ejects liquid droplets are arrayed, and detects an ejecting condition of the liquid droplets, a recovery unit that recovers an ejecting condition of nozzles of the printing head; and a control unit that determines whether to perform or skip inspection of the ejecting condition by the detection unit based on a state of each of the nozzles of the printing head, and controls a nozzle for which the inspection of the ejecting condition is determined to be skipped so as to perform the inspection of the ejecting condition by the detection unit after the recovery unit recovers the ejecting condition of the nozzle.

An inkjet printer includes an ink head including a nozzle surface with nozzles, and an attachment portion to enable attachment or detachment of an ink refill container storing ink to be ejected from the nozzles or a washing liquid refill container storing a washing liquid usable to wash the nozzle surface. The attachment portion includes a housing to accommodate the ink refill container or the washing liquid refill container, a connection portion provided inside the housing and connectable with the ink refill container or the washing liquid refill container, and a tray provided in the housing and below the connection portion.