A printer includes: a platen; a printhead assembly having an inkjet printhead operatively positioned opposite the platen; a feed mechanism for feeding a web of print media over the platen and along a printing feed path; and a diverter configured for periodically diverting a portion of the web towards the printhead assembly and along a maintenance feed path. The portion of the web diverted along the maintenance feed path wipes part of the printhead assembly and removes condensation.

Disclosed is an inkjet head cleaning device comprising: a body; an ejection part formed in the body, and configured to eject a cleaning liquid to a nozzle surface of a head; and, a suction part formed in the body, and configured to suck the cleaning liquid ejected from the ejection part and used for cleaning the nozzle surface of the head, and foreign substances separated from the nozzle surface of the head; and wherein the ejection part comprises, a perpendicular passage through which the cleaning liquid flows and a discharge end at the end of the perpendicular passage and configured to guide the cleaning liquid to eject toward the suction part.

A liquid discharge apparatus is provided, which comprises a conveyer, a rotatable support mechanism which supports a medium, a head, and a maintenance mechanism which has a cap configured to cover nozzles of the head. The support mechanism is configured to rotate about a rotation shaft to a first rotation position and a second rotation position at which a rotation end is separated further from the head as compared with a situation provided at the first rotation position. The maintenance mechanism is configured to move to a waiting position which is positioned oppositely to the rotation shaft of the support mechanism with respect to the rotation end of the support mechanism and a maintenance position which is positioned between the head and the support mechanism disposed at the second rotation position and at which the cap covers the nozzles.

When a liquid ejection head and a first wiping unit are moved relatively to clean a surface, the first wiping unit making a first wiping member travel in a first direction, a direction opposite to the first direction is used as a moving direction of the head with reference to the first wiping member in relative moving therebetween. When the head and a second wiping unit are moved relatively to each other to clean the surface, the second wiping unit making a second wiping member travel in a second direction having a component of a direction opposite to the first direction, a direction opposite to the second direction is used as a moving direction of the head with reference to the second wiping member in relative moving therebetween to move the second wiping unit and the head relatively to clean the same area on the surface.

A printing unit includes: a sleeve and a print module received in the sleeve, the print module being slidably removable, in a first direction, from the sleeve. The print module includes a supply module and a replaceable printhead. The printhead is slidably removable, in a second direction, from the supply module, the first and second directions being non-parallel.

A printing process for printing an ink pattern on a substrate is provided. The ink pattern to be printed is based on an available pattern layout. The pattern layout defines a desired layout of the ink pattern to be printed. Based on the pattern layout an input image for allocating dot positions of the ink pattern is generated. The printing process includes a step of comparing a scan image with the input image to carry out a quality inspection to detect any print defects in the printed ink pattern. The printing process includes a step of providing a decision on an approval or a rejection of the printed ink pattern. In case of an approval, the substrate can be supplied to a subsequent processing station to finalize the substrate. In case of a rejection, the substrate including print defects can be recycled.

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.

Disclosed herein is a print head maintenance cartridge, a printing device and a method of controlling a wiping subsystem of a print head maintenance cartridge. The print head maintenance cartridge comprises a wiping subsystem with a wiping material to wipe a print head; a clean material roll, wherein a clean part of the wiping material is rolled up on the clean material roll at least in part; a brake to generate a first brake force applied to the wiping material; and a friction element to generate a second brake force applied to the wiping material, wherein the friction element compensates at least in part a change in the first brake force to control a total brake force, wherein the total brake force is the sum of the first and second brake forces.

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.