A printer is disclosed. The printer spits printing fluid from nozzles using a spit pattern. The spit pattern is non-uniform along the spit pattern length.

A liquid ejection apparatus comprises a liquid ejection head, a nozzle cap, and a suction pump. The liquid ejection head includes first nozzles, second nozzles, and an ejection surface in which the first nozzles and the second nozzles are formed. The nozzle cap includes a first cap section for covering the first nozzles, a second cap section for covering the second nozzles, a communication section connected with the first cap section and the second cap section, a suction port for being connected with the suction pump, and an atmosphere communication port for communication with atmosphere. At least one of the suction port and the atmosphere communication port is provided at non-connection end portions which are end portions in the one direction of the first cap section and the second cap section and are not connected with the communication section.

A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting unit having nozzles able to eject a first liquid to a medium; and a fluid ejecting device having ejection ports able to eject a fluid including a second liquid to the liquid ejecting unit, in which the fluid ejecting device performs, as a maintenance operation of the liquid ejecting unit, a first fluid ejection of ejecting a fluid including small droplets of the second liquid that are smaller than a nozzle opening to an opening region in which the nozzles of the liquid ejecting unit open, and a second fluid ejection of ejecting a fluid including droplets of the second liquid in which the smallest droplets are larger than the small droplets to the liquid ejecting unit.

An ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head having a nozzle arrangement region in which a plurality of nozzles for discharging ink is arranged, and a cleaning unit configured to perform cleaning operation on the recording head. A control unit is configured to control the cleaning unit and a change operation for changing relative position relation between a region where the record medium passes and the nozzle arrangement region. The control unit acquires end passage positions in a first recording operation before the change operation is performed, and a passage region in a second recording operation after the change operation is performed. The control unit performs control for executing the cleaning operation in a case where the end passage position is included in the passage region.

An inkjet printing apparatus includes a transport speed detector for detecting transport speed of a printing medium, an inkjet head having a plurality of discharge portions for discharging ink droplets from the discharge portions for printing, and a flushing controller for carrying out discrete flushing from the discharge portions. For an acceleration area of the printing medium where the transport speed detector detects an increase in transport speed before printing, a first discharge rate is set as discharge rate of the ink droplets per unit time for the discharge flushing. For a constant speed area of the printing medium where the transport speed detector detects a substantially constant transport speed during printing, a second discharge rate lower than the first discharge rate is set as discharge rate of the ink droplets per unit time for the discharge flushing.

An inkjet printer includes a table for a recording medium, an injection head including nozzles arrayed in a first direction, the injection head injecting ink toward the recording medium, a movement mechanism moving, in the first direction, one of the table and the injection head with respect to the other of the table and the injection head, and a controller communicably connected with the injection head and the movement mechanism, the controller driving the injection head and the movement mechanism. The controller includes a printing controller printing an image by using portion of the plurality of nozzles, the portion being selected based on a nozzle check to determine if any of the nozzles has an injection defect.

A spittoon system for a printing mechanism includes a reservoir elongated in a longitudinal direction and having a bottom part. The reservoir receives printing fluid residue spit from a print-head onto a first zone of the reservoir. The spittoon system further includes a cleaning element arranged inside the reservoir to transfer, by sliding along the longitudinal direction of the reservoir, the received printing fluid residue from the first zone to a second zone. The second zone includes a drain outlet to drain the printing fluid residue from the reservoir.

The printing apparatus includes a printing head that includes a plurality of nozzles including a first nozzle, a discharging controller that is capable of controlling discharging of liquid from the plurality of nozzles, a transportation section that relatively moves a recording medium and the printing head by transporting at least either or both of the recording medium and the printing head, and a suction section that includes a suction port which is positioned at an upstream side or a downstream side of the printing head in a relative moving direction of the printing head and the recording medium. The discharging controller controls the first nozzle to discharge mist type ink droplets at a timing of not discharging ink droplets for forming image from the first nozzle, and the suction section suctions the mist type ink droplets discharged from the first nozzle through the suction port.

A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting unit having nozzles able to eject a first liquid to a medium; and a fluid ejecting device having ejection ports able to eject a fluid including a second liquid to the liquid ejecting unit, in which the fluid ejecting device performs, as a maintenance operation of the liquid ejecting unit, a first fluid ejection of ejecting a fluid including small droplets of the second liquid that are smaller than a nozzle opening to an opening region in which the nozzles of the liquid ejecting unit open, and a second fluid ejection of ejecting a fluid including droplets of the second liquid in which the smallest droplets are larger than the small droplets to the liquid ejecting unit.

A liquid discharge apparatus includes a liquid discharge portion configured to discharge a liquid from a nozzle provided in a nozzle surface and move in a X-axis direction, and a detection portion configured to detect a liquid droplet adhering to the nozzle surface, including an irradiating portion configured to radiate irradiation light along the nozzle surface in an irradiating direction intersecting the scanning direction, and a light receiving portion configured to receive the irradiation light radiated from the irradiating portion, in which in the liquid droplet detection of detecting the liquid droplet, the liquid discharge portion moves in the X-axis direction on a Z direction side of the detection portion in a state where the irradiating portion is caused to radiate the irradiation light.