A printer includes a recording unit, a platen unit, a maintenance tank, and a guide unit. The recording unit ejects ink onto a medium. The platen unit includes a support surface that supports the medium and a discard portion in which waste ink is discarded. The maintenance tank recovers the waste ink. The guide unit has a receiving surface, and guides the waste ink to the maintenance tank. Second surface energy is larger than first surface energy when the first surface energy indicates surface energy at a first position on the receiving surface with respect to the waste ink and the second surface energy indicates surface energy at a second position closer to the maintenance tank than the first position.

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 circulation device comprises a liquid chamber connected with a liquid discharge section that discharges liquid, a circulation section which circulates the liquid in a flow path containing the liquid chamber and the liquid discharge section, a liquid supply section, a pressure adjustment section and a control section that, according to fluctuation velocity of the pressure, replenishes the liquid through the liquid supply section if the detected pressure is equal to or smaller than a predetermined pressure value or lower than the predetermined pressure value and the pressure fluctuation velocity is equal to or greater than a predetermined speed or faster than the predetermined speed and adjusts the pressure of the liquid discharge section through the pressure adjustment section and the pressure fluctuation velocity is slower than the predetermined speed or equal to or smaller than the predetermined speed.

A liquid absorber includes a container that has an opening and that recovers liquid and a first absorbing unit that is constituted by an aggregate of porous absorbing body blocks and that is housed in the container such that a gap exists between the porous absorbing body blocks. The porous absorbing body blocks have a density of 0.05 [g/cm.sup.3] or more and 0.50 [g/cm.sup.3] or less.

Provided is an ink-replacement method for an inkjet recording apparatus that includes a recording head having an ink ejection surface on which a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink onto a recording medium is arranged, a sub-tank for temporarily retaining the ink supplied from an ink container, and an ink flow path along which the ink circulates from and to the sub-tank by passing through the recording head. In replacing a first ink present in the ink flow path with a second ink to be newly supplied to the recording head via the ink flow path, when the second ink is caused to flow from the sub-tank into the ink flow path, pulsation is generated in the ink flow path.

Additive manufacturing or 3D printing produces considerable quantities of waste ink or resin during the course of additive manufacture. The waste ink is a hazardous substance and must be collected and disposed of accordingly. The present embodiments provide a waste ink collection device that collects the waste ink from the printing process, or from head cleaning and other incidental operations, stores the waste and cures it. The waste ink is thus rendered safe for conventional disposal. A waste ink disposal cartridge collects the waste ink and carries out curing.

A recording apparatus includes a plurality of medium containing units that is provided along a vertical direction and contains a medium before recording, a liquid ejecting head that performs recording by ejecting liquid toward the medium, and at least one liquid containing unit that contains the liquid. The plurality of medium containing units includes a first medium containing unit located at an uppermost position, and a second medium containing unit located below the first medium containing unit. A size of the first medium containing unit in a medium feeding-out direction, in which the medium is fed out, is smaller than a size of the second medium containing unit in the medium feeding-out direction, and the at least one liquid containing unit is provided above the second medium containing unit in such a way as to overlap with the first medium containing unit in a vertical direction.

A printer includes a recording unit, a platen unit, a maintenance tank, and a guide unit. The recording unit ejects ink onto a medium. The platen unit includes a support surface that supports the medium and a discard portion in which waste ink is discarded. The maintenance tank recovers the waste ink. The guide unit has a receiving surface, and guides the waste ink to the maintenance tank. Second surface energy is larger than first surface energy when the first surface energy indicates surface energy at a first position on the receiving surface with respect to the waste ink and the second surface energy indicates surface energy at a second position closer to the maintenance tank than the first position.

Disclosed is a method to mitigate deterioration of printing fluid in a tank of a printer. The method comprises: draining printing fluid from a tank of a printer, and stopping the draining before the tank is empty, wherein the printing fluid comprises solids suspended in imaging oil, filtering the printing fluid drained from the tank, to separate at least some of the solids from the imaging oil, passing the filtered imaging oil to a reservoir; and then passing imaging oil from the reservoir to the tank. Also disclosed is a printer and a system to perform the method.

To provide a liquid consuming device capable of causing liquid to flow smoothly and reducing contamination of the device and its surroundings, a first absorbent provided in a fixed waste liquid storage unit is connected to a second absorbent provided in a movable waste liquid storage unit by mating of a recessed portion with a protruding portion at the connecting portion between the first absorbent and the second absorbent.