A maintenance unit is provided to be mounted on a liquid discharge apparatus including a discharge portion that performs printing by discharging a liquid from a nozzle to a medium when the printing is not performed, and includes a cap configured to form a space in which the nozzle is open, and a pump configured to depressurize the space.

A method to clean a discharge port surface of a recording apparatus includes applying a cleaning liquid to the discharge port surface by a cleaning liquid application unit. The discharge port surface includes a discharge port line, a hydrophilic part, and a water-repellent part located between the hydrophilic part and the discharge port line. A plurality of discharge ports to discharge a liquid is aligned in a first direction. The hydrophilic part is provided separated from the discharge port line and protrudes from the discharge port surface in a discharge direction of the liquid from the plurality of discharge ports. After the cleaning liquid is applied to the discharge port surface, a cleaning liquid removal unit removes the applied cleaning liquid in a state where the cleaning liquid has been moved onto the hydrophilic part.

A recording device includes: a drive source; a driven portion having a driven gear; a drive transmission mechanism having a drive gear driven by the drive source and capable of swing between a first position where the drive gear is engaged with the driven gear and a second position where the drive gear is not engaged with the driven gear; and a regulating mechanism capable of swing between a regulating position where swing of the drive transmission mechanism is regulated and a non-regulating position where the swing of the drive transmission mechanism is not regulated. In the recording device, the regulating mechanism is capable of swing around a rotation axis of the driven gear.

A method of operating a continuous inkjet printer (1). The printer comprise a printhead. The printhead comprises a droplet generator (16) comprising a printing nozzle (17) for ejecting an ink jet for printing, at least one electrode (22, 23) for steering the inkjet, and a gutter (18) having an ink receiving orifice (24) for receiving parts of the ink jet which are not used for printing. The method comprises performing a cleaning operation. Said cleaning operation comprises: ejecting a solvent jet from the printing nozzle towards the gutter; and causing at least a portion of the solvent jet to contact at least a part of the gutter (18) surrounding the orifice (24) for cleaning said part of the gutter surrounding the orifice.

A recording apparatus includes a recording head including a tank configured to store ink, a liquid chamber connected to the tank, a filter arranged between the tank and the liquid chamber, and a discharge port configured to discharge ink supplied from the liquid chamber, a cap configured to cover the discharge port, and a suction pump configured to suction ink from the recording head via the cap, wherein the suction pump performs a first suction on the recording head, stops the first suction on the recording head, and then performs a second suction at a maximum drive speed that is higher than a drive speed at time of end of the first suction.

An ink-based digital printing system for variable data lithographic printing includes an imaging member having a surface configured to absorb dampening fluid. A dampening fluid patterning system jets dampening fluid onto the imaging member surface according to image data to form a dampening fluid pattern. The system includes a transfer member that receives the jetted dampening fluid pattern from the imaging member at a dampening fluid loading nip for subsequent inking of the dampening fluid pattern to form an ink pattern. The ink pattern is transferred to a substrate from the transfer member at an ink pattern transfer nip.

An ink-based digital printing system for variable data lithographic printing includes an imaging member having a surface configured to absorb dampening fluid. A dampening fluid patterning system jets dampening fluid onto the imaging member surface according to image data to form a dampening fluid pattern. The system includes a transfer member that receives the jetted dampening fluid pattern from the imaging member at a dampening fluid loading nip for subsequent inking of the dampening fluid pattern to form an ink pattern. The ink pattern is transferred to a substrate from the transfer member at an ink pattern transfer nip.

An ink-based digital printing system for variable data lithographic printing includes an imaging member having a surface configured to absorb dampening fluid. A dampening fluid patterning system jets dampening fluid onto the imaging member surface according to image data to form a dampening fluid pattern. The system includes a transfer member that receives the jetted dampening fluid pattern from the imaging member at a dampening fluid loading nip for subsequent inking of the dampening fluid pattern to form an ink pattern. The ink pattern is transferred to a substrate from the transfer member at an ink pattern transfer nip.

An apparatus includes a washing water supplying path connected to an ink chamber, including a seal blade and a doctor blade slidably contacting an outer circumference of an anilox roll; a washing water supplier for supplying washing water to an inside of the ink chamber through the washing water supplying path; a supplying path opening/closing device that opens and closes the washing water supplying path; a washing water recovering paths connected to the ink chamber; a suction recovering device that recovers the washing water in the ink chamber by suction through the washing water recovering path; and a controller that controls operations of the washing water supplier, the supplying path opening/closing device, and the suction recovering device. The control mode includes a decompression control mode in which the seal blade is elastically deformed towards the ink chamber by decompressing the inside of the ink chamber by recovering the washing water.

Provided is a technique which, if external supply of electric power to a printing apparatus that can be driven with electric power stored therein stops, can reduce the effect of the stoppage on printing at the next activation. The printing apparatus includes: a connection unit configured to connect to an external power source; an electric power storage unit configured to store electric power supplied from the external power source through the connection unit; a printing unit configured to perform printing by ejecting an ink onto a print medium conveyed by a conveyance unit; a recovery unit configured to perform a recovery operation of maintaining or restoring an ink ejection characteristic of the printing unit; and a control unit configured to execute the recovery operation according to an amount of electric power stored in the electric power storage unit after the supply of electric power from the external power source stops.