To provide a printing apparatus and a method for determining a service life of a cleaning mechanism, capable of more accurately determining a service life of a cleaning mechanism. For the purpose, a service life of a recovery unit is determined by multiplication of a number of times a blade wipes a face surface by a coefficient different depending on a quantity of liquid adhering to the face surface.

A maintenance device used in a liquid discharge head includes a first cap to seal a nozzle face of the liquid discharge head, a second cap disposed outside the first cap, and a humidity conditioner disposed outside the first cap and inside the second cap. The second cap seals the first cap and at least a contact portion between the nozzle face of the liquid discharge head and the first cap. The humidity conditioner adjusts humidity in a space between the first cap and the second cap.

A line inkjet head cleaning apparatus for effectively cleaning a long line inkjet head includes a wiper fixer extending in a longitudinal direction of a line inkjet head as a cleaning target and having a predetermined width in a vertical direction, a cleaning wiper being fixed to an upper end thereof, a cleaning solution tank having a predetermined volume accommodating the wiper fixer and having an opening in an upper surface, and a driver that vertically moves the wiper fixer between a cleaning solution in the cleaning solution tank and the line inkjet head as a cleaning target positioned above the opening.

A wiper moving mechanism moves a wiper member a predetermined distance in an intersecting direction intersecting with an ejection surface, between a wiping position where a wiper of the wiper member is in contact with the ejection surface and a separation position. The cam is rotatable about a rotation shaft and includes a contact part which causes the wiper to make contact with a cleaning member when the contact part makes contacts with a wiper holder. The contact part is configured to be distant from the wiper holder in the intersecting direction when the wiper member is positioned at the wiping position and to be overlapped with a moving range of the wiper holder in the intersecting direction by moving the wiper member by the predetermined distance in the intersecting direction. The contact part has a length which is shorter than the moving range in the intersecting direction.

A printhead maintenance station to cleaning a nozzle plate of a printhead and a method of operating the printhead maintenance station are disclosed. The printhead maintenance station includes a wiper bar, a wiper secured to the wiper bar, a wiper cleaning assembly, and an actuator. The wiper is stored in the wiper cleaning assembly when not in use. The controller operates the actuator to rotate the wiper bar to move the wiper from the wiper cleaning assembly to a wiping position, and causes relative movement of the printhead maintenance station and the print unit to wipe the nozzle plate with the wiper.

An inkjet printhead includes a faceplate mounted to a printhead body. The faceplate has a first area in which an array of inkjet nozzle openings is positioned. The area is covered with a hydrophobic coating. A second area of the faceplate outside of the array of inkjet nozzle openings is covered with a first hydrophilic coating that does not contact the hydrophobic coating covering the first area. A third area of the faceplate between the first area and the second area is covered with a second hydrophilic coating. One end of the third area contacts the hydrophobic coating and another end of the third area contacts the first hydrophilic coating to pull ink emitted onto the hydrophobic coating during a purge operation to the second area of the faceplate.

A cleaning method of a liquid ejection head where recording element substrates having an ejection orifice forming-face having ejection orifice arrays which are aligned, and at least one array ejects a different recording liquid than another, includes wiping and preliminary ejection. In the wiping, a wiping member is caused to move along and wipe the arrays. In the preliminary ejection, before the wiping of the entire ejection orifice forming-face is completed, preliminary ejection from the wiped ejection orifices is started. The wiping and preliminary ejection are sequentially performed from a recording element substrate at one end to a recording element substrate at the other end.

A printer includes an ink head including a nozzle surface on which a nozzle is provided, a wiper extending upward to wipe the nozzle surface, a wiper mover to move the wiper in a sub-scanning direction, a wiper cleaner disposed downstream of a carriage and extending downward to remove ink adhering to the wiper, and a controller configured or programmed to control the wiper mover. The controller is configured or programmed to control the wiper mover such that the nozzle surface is wiped by the wiper after bringing the wiper into contact with the wiper cleaner or to bring the wiper into contact with the wiper cleaner after wiping the nozzle surface by the wiper.

A recording apparatus has a receiving member provided at a carriage having thereon a recording head and reciprocally moving, and receiving a liquid cleared away from a wiper for wiping and cleaning the recording head by a cleaner member. The cleaner member can assume, with respect to the carriage, a first position capable of cleaning the wiper, and a second position allowing the receiving member to receive the liquid cleared away from the wiper by the cleaner member.

A wiping assembly includes a wiper that wipes a liquid ejection head, a wiper cleaner, and a mover that moves the wiper relative to the wiper cleaner. The wiper cleaner includes a first member, a second member, an absorbent, and a presser. An opening is located in the first member. The second member includes a projecting portion opposed to the opening. The absorbent has a plate shape and is disposed between the first member and the second member. The presser presses the second member toward the first member. The projecting portion presses the absorbent toward the opening. A portion of the absorbent is deformed to form a protruding portion that protrudes in a projection direction of the projecting portion from the opening by pressing by the projecting portion. The mover moves the wiper such that the wiper contacts the protruding portion of the absorbent.