A capping station is configured for storing printheads during printer inactivity to preserve the viscosity of the ink in the nozzles of the printheads. Each capping station has a receptacle, a planar member having a shaft that moves bidirectionally within an opening in a floor of the receptacle, a source of cleaning fluid, and a vacuum source. A controller is operatively connected to actuators to move the receptacle so a seal on an upper wall of the receptacle engages a printhead housing and to move the planar member within the receptacle. The controller also operates a pump to move cleaning fluid through the receptacle and to operate the vacuum source to pull ink from the nozzles of a printhead to the faceplate of the printhead. The planar member is moved proximate the faceplate so the ink forms a film that preserves the viscosity of the ink in the nozzles.

A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting unit having nozzles able to eject a liquid to a medium, a wiping unit able to wipe the liquid ejecting unit, a waste liquid receiving unit which receives a waste liquid which is discharged by a maintenance operation for maintaining the liquid ejecting unit, at a position facing the liquid ejecting unit, and a collection unit which comes in contact with the waste liquid receiving unit to collect the waste liquid which is received by the waste receiving unit, in which the wiping unit comes in contact with the collection unit to wipe the waste liquid which is collected by the collection unit.

An inkjet head maintenance device includes a base, a liquid supplier and a liquid collector. The base has an upper face disposed closely opposite a nozzle face of an inkjet head to form a liquid reservoir space during maintenance of the inkjet head. The base includes a liquid supply hole and a liquid collection hole that open to the upper face. The liquid supplier is configured to supply liquid from the liquid supply hole to the liquid reservoir space. The liquid collector is configured to collect the liquid in the liquid reservoir space from the liquid collection hole.

To provide an inkjet printing apparatus that is capable of reducing a collision noise made by a roller and a tube during a suctioning operation, the position of the roller relative to the tube is changed between the suctioning operation and a stopped time.

According to one embodiment, a maintenance apparatus includes a first suction nozzle having a first suction port facing a first nozzle row through which a first liquid can be ejected, the first nozzle row including nozzles aligned in a first direction on a nozzle plate, and a second suction nozzle having a second suction port facing a second nozzle row through which a second liquid can be ejected, the second nozzle row including nozzles aligned in the first direction on the nozzle plate and parallel to the first nozzle row.

A primer apparatus for a print head structure of an inkjet printer, in which the primer apparatus comprises a pump to supply a flow of air to the print head structure, an outlet valve and a control valve in fluid communication with and disposed between the pump and the outlet valve, the outlet valve comprising a venting structure to reduce the pressure of a flow of air supplied to the print head structure when the control valve is open.

According to one embodiment, a maintenance apparatus includes a first suction nozzle having a first suction port facing a first nozzle row through which a first liquid can be ejected, the first nozzle row including nozzles aligned in a first direction on a nozzle plate, and a second suction nozzle having a second suction port facing a second nozzle row through which a second liquid can be ejected, the second nozzle row including nozzles aligned in the first direction on the nozzle plate and parallel to the first nozzle row.

A liquid ejection apparatus includes a head that defines an individual channel including a nozzle, a feed channel communicating a reservoir and an inlet port of the individual channel, and a feedback channel communicating the reservoir and an outlet port of the individual channel. A pump assembly has at least one pump. A controller is configured to drive the pump assembly to draw air into the individual channel through the nozzle, and to drive the pump assembly to apply a pressure in the individual channel from the feed channel toward the feedback channel.

Embodiments described herein provide for a fluid management system and a method of utilizing the fluid management system. The fluid management system includes a servicing fluid management system and an ink management system. The servicing fluid management system and the ink management system run in parallel within an inkjet chamber. The ink management system supports the flow of inkjet materials between a waste tank, one or more inkjet material supply tanks, an ink management module, and the inkjet printer. The servicing fluid management system supports the flow of servicing fluids between the waste tank, one or more servicing fluid supply tanks, a servicing fluid management module, and the inkjet printer.

A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting unit and a pump. The liquid ejecting apparatus has a supply channel, a return channel, and a communication channel. The supply channel is designed to be able to supply the liquid from a liquid supply source to the nozzle. The return channel has ends connected to the supply channel and forms, together with the supply channel, a circulation channel. The communication channel is connected to the return channel and allows communication between an inside of the return channel and an outside. In a state in which the return channel communicates with the outside through the communication channel, the pump is driven so as to perform a return-channel replacement operation in which the liquid in the return channel is discharged to the supply channel side.