A printhead module includes: a monolithic substrate having alternate longitudinal slots and longitudinal ink supply channels defined through a thickness of the substrate and extending parallel with each other along a length of the substrate; and a plurality of rows of print chips mounted on a front face of the substrate, each row of print chips receiving ink only from a respective one of the ink supply channels. Each one of the longitudinal slots is configured to supply power and data only to a respective one of the rows of print chips.

An ink maintenance system for a printer comprising a first tray having a base and a plurality of side walls, the first tray having a first length and an open top along the length and a second tray having a base and a plurality of side walls, the second tray having a second length and an open top along its length. The system also includes a fan and a filter. To use the system, a print head is positioned in a standby or cleaning position within the printer and ink is ejected from one or more print nozzles into an ink maintenance system within the printer such that the ejected ink is collected in at least one of a catch tray or a filter of the ink maintenance system. The system is then removable from the printer for cleaning.

An image forming system includes a fluid applicator unit, a substrate positioning unit, and a fluid collector assembly. The fluid collector assembly includes a collector substrate, a collector advancement unit, and a collector control module. The fluid applicator unit may apply fluid to a substrate. The substrate positioning unit may position the substrate in a printzone to receive the fluid from the fluid applicator unit such that a first portion of the fluid remains on the substrate and a second portion of the fluid does not remain on the substrate. The collector substrate may collect the second portion of the fluid in the printzone below the substrate. The collector advancement unit may advance the collector substrate along a collector transport path below the substrate in the printzone. The collector control module may control the collector advancement unit to selectively advance the collector substrate along the collector transport path in response to application of the fluid to the substrate by the fluid applicator unit.

A liquid container includes a liquid chamber defined by an upper wall, a lower wall, and a peripheral wall, a refill port, a liquid outlet port through which ink is supplied from the liquid chamber to the outside, and a first longitudinal partition extending upward from the lower wall and configured to partition the liquid chamber into a first liquid containing portion and a second liquid containing portion in a horizontal direction. A first lateral communication passage is positioned between an end portion of the first longitudinal partition in the horizontal direction and the peripheral wall. The liquid outlet port is disposed in one of the first liquid containing portion and the second liquid containing portion.

A liquid collecting device to collect liquid stored in a storage portion of a liquid container includes a bottle main body, a collecting joint portion, and a first valve element. A flow passage member of the liquid container ports the liquid to the storage portion. The bottle main body has first and second openings in communication with outside the liquid collecting device. The collecting joint portion connects to the bottle main body through the first opening and includes a first coupling portion coupled to the flow passage member, and an internal flow passage extending between the first opening and the first coupling portion. The internal flow passage includes a throttle portion and a space. The first valve element is moveably provided in the space and the first valve element has an area larger than an opening area of the first opening and an opening area of the throttle portion.

A liquid supply device includes a first conduit, a second conduit, one or more pumps, a heater, a filter, and a bypass conduit. The first conduit is connected to an upstream side of a liquid discharge head. The second conduit is connected to a downstream side of the liquid discharge head. The liquid is supplied through the first conduit to the liquid discharge head and recovered from the liquid discharge head through the second conduit. The heater is provided along the first conduit. The filter is provided in the first conduit on a downstream side of the heater. The bypass conduit is connected between a portion of the first conduit upstream with respect to the filter and a portion of the second conduit.

A modular print bar may include at least one first print head module and at least one second print head module. Each print head module may include a base plate with which at least one print head can be connected. At least one first ink supply line for supplying ink to the respective print head may respectively run in the base plates. The print head modules may be firmly connected to a print bar such that a connection can be established between the first ink supply line of the first print head module and the first ink supply line of the second print head module.

A liquid ejection apparatus includes a liquid ejection head having a plurality of nozzles, a determination circuit, a clock, and a controller. The controller is configured to determine whether the clock is in an on or off state. In response to determining that the clock is in an on state, the controller is configured to perform an inspection process at a first time. In the inspection process, the controller drives the liquid ejection head to eject liquid from a nozzle of the plurality nozzles and receive a determination signal that is output from the determination circuit in response to ejection of liquid from the nozzle of the plurality of nozzles. In response to determining that the clock is in an off state, the controller is configured to perform the inspection process at a predetermined time that is a time after the clock is returned to an on state.

An ink supply device includes a plurality of ink containers, a plurality of heater units, a frame, a lower fixing member and an upper fixing member. In the ink container, ink is stored. The heater units are arranged in a horizontal arrangement direction. The heater unit includes a tube in which the ink fed from the ink container is passed, a hearer heating the ink passing through the tube and a casing by which the tube and the heater are supported. In the frame, the ink containers and the heater units are stored. The lower fixing member is fixedly mounted to the frame and holds all lower portions of the heater units. The upper fixing member is detachably mounted to the frame and holds all upper portions of the heater units.

A system for detecting a filling level in a printing fluid waste container comprises a waste container that collects excess printing fluid in a reservoir, and an optical sensor unit that detects a filling level of the reservoir on a filling reference surface.