A liquid discharge apparatus includes a liquid discharge head, a mist collector, an electrode, and a cleaning liquid applier. The liquid discharge head discharges a liquid. The mist collector includes a mist collection portion and a connection portion. The mist collection portion is formed of a conductive material to collect a mist of the liquid on a surface of the mist collection portion. The connection portion is disposed at each end of the mist collection portion. The electrode is connected to the connection portion to apply a voltage to the mist collection portion through the connection portion. The cleaning liquid applier applies a cleaning liquid to the surface of the mist collection portion to remove the mist from the surface of the mist collection portion.

Method for cleaning a printed band (195) of flexible material, having printing ink at at least one side thereof and is stripped from the printing ink using an apparatus (100) which comprises a cleaning organ.) The method comprises contacting the at least one side of the band (195) that comprises printing ink with a cleaning fluid (599), removing the printing ink that has been contacted with the cleaning fluid (599) with the cleaning organ yielding a cleaned band (195) of flexible material, and removing adhering cleaning fluid (599) from the cleaned band (195) of flexible material;

For effective cleaning the printed band (195) is guided into a bath (121) with cleaning fluid (599), and is stripped from the printing ink in the bath (121) by means of the cleaning organ; and the cleaned band (195) is guided out off the bath (121) and stripped from the adhering cleaning fluid (599).

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 liquid ejecting head unit includes a liquid ejecting head having a nozzle forming portion in which a nozzle that ejects a liquid to a medium is formed, a shutter that has an opening portion exposing the nozzle and that is movable between a cover position in which a recessed portion including the nozzle is covered and an exposure position in which the nozzle is exposed, and a first communication portion that communicates with an inside of the recessed portion and that is capable of supplying a fluid into the recessed portion.

A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting head that ejects a liquid from a plurality of nozzles disposed in a nozzle surface, a wiping member that wipes the nozzle surface, and a wiping member moving mechanism that moves the wiping member between a wiping position where the nozzle surface is wiped and a retracted position. The wiping member moving mechanism has a wiping member holding mechanism that holds the wiping member and a holding state releasing mechanism that releases a holding state of the wiping member holding mechanism in a case where a load that is equal to or higher than a set value is received.

A printing system for printing to a recording medium can include a guide, a printer, and a cleaner. The guide can guide the recording medium and be arranged in a first vertically traveling region. The printer having a print bar with a print head can print to the recording medium. The printer can be arranged in a printing position located in the first vertically traveling region, and be displaced, to facilitate the cleaning of the print head, into a service position located in a second vertically traveling region. The cleaner can be adapted to clean the print head. The cleaner can be arranged in a printing position located in the first vertically traveling region, and be displaced into the service position located in the second vertically traveling region to clean the print head. The cleaning can be automatically or manually performed.

An image forming apparatus includes an inkjet head, a blade and a cleaning liquid supply member. The inkjet head is provided with a nozzle surface on which ink ejection ports of a plurality of nozzles are opened. The blade is movable in contact with the nozzle surface. The cleaning liquid supply member supplies a cleaning liquid to at least one of the nozzle surface and the blade. The cleaning liquid supply member has a lower surface. On the lower surface, an opening through which the cleaning liquid is discharged and a protrusion with which the cleaning liquid discharged through the opening can be in contact are formed.

A stencil printer includes a stencil, a material applicator to apply material on the stencil, and a stencil wiper assembly to selectively wipe the stencil. The stencil wiper assembly includes has a quick-change material module having a supply roller to receive a roll of material, a take-up roller to receive used material, a drive to move the material across the stencil from the supply roller to the take-up roller, and a controllable tension device configured to vary a tension of the material when driving the material from the supply roller to the take-up roller.

An inkjet recording apparatus includes a head unit, a wipe unit, and a control part. The head unit is provided with a nozzle surface on which a plurality of ink ejection ports is opened downward. The wipe unit performs a wiping operation in which a blade is moved along the nozzle surface while applying a cleaning liquid to the nozzle surface to wipe the nozzle surface. The control part controls the head unit and the wipe unit to perform a first maintenance operation to perform the wiping operation and a second maintenance operation to perform the wiping operation after the ink is pushed out from the nozzle surface. In the second maintenance operation, the cleaning liquid applied to the nozzle surface is suppled firstly, then the ink is pushed out from the nozzle surface, and then wiping operation is performed.

Provided is an ink jet recording method by which an image excellent in water resistance and scratch resistance can be recorded while the occurrence of ejection misdirection immediately after the start of initial use is suppressed. The method is an ink jet recording method including recording an image with an ink jet recording apparatus including: an aqueous ink containing an organic pigment and a resin; an ink storage portion configured to store the aqueous ink; a recording head incorporated into the ink storage portion, the recording head having an ejection orifice surface having formed storage portion; and a wiping unit configured to wipe the ejection orifice surface, the recording being performed by applying the aqueous ink ejected from the ejection orifice to a recording medium.