A wiper for wiping a nozzle surface of a liquid discharge head that discharges liquid from the nozzle is provided. The wiper comprises a plurality of layers including at least a first layer, and the first layer has a surface that contacts the nozzle surface. The surface that contacts the nozzle surface has a maximum height of waviness Wz of from 100 to 600 μm.

Examples include a method for operating a printing device comprising a specific pen. The method comprises receiving future specific pen firing data related to a plurality of upcoming successive print jobs and collecting historical specific pen firing data. The method further comprises determining a level and timing of servicing of the specific pen in function of both of the received future specific pen firing data and of the collected historical specific pen firing data.

A maintenance method for an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording using an ink composition and a treatment liquid containing a coagulant, wherein the ink jet recording apparatus has an ink jet head for ejecting the ink composition, the method includes a wiping step of wiping a nozzle-forming surface of the ink jet head with a maintenance liquid and an absorbent wiping member, and the maintenance liquid contains water that constitutes 80% or more by mass of a total mass of the maintenance liquid.

A printing unit includes: three elongate printheads positioned in a staggered overlapping arrangement for spanning across a media feed path, wherein a first printhead and a second printhead are longitudinally spaced apart and positioned in a row across the media feed path and a third printhead is offset from and overlaps with both the first and second printheads; three wipers for longitudinally wiping respective printheads in a direction perpendicular to a media feed direction, each wiper being parked at one longitudinal end of its respective printhead. One of the wipers, in its parked position, is positioned in a space between the first and second printheads.

A method of wiping an inkjet printhead. The method includes the steps of: lifting a print module carrier relative to a media feed path, the print module carrier having a mounting arm bridging over a wiper carriage parked at one longitudinal end of a printhead carried by the print module carrier; and moving the wiper carriage, from its parked position below the mounting arm, longitudinally along the printhead to wipe a surface of the printhead.

Disclosed herein is a print head maintenance assembly, a printing device and a method of controlling a print head maintenance assembly in a printing device. The print head maintenance assembly comprises a maintenance cartridge comprising a positioning flag, wherein the maintenance cartridge is movable along a maintenance path in a direction of movement; and a sensor to detect the positioning flag to determine the position of the maintenance cartridge along the maintenance path.

A printing device includes an ink jet head that jets an ink from a jetting surface, an ink circulation flow passage through which the ink circulates, a moisturizing unit that moisturizes the jetting surface in an ink circulation stop period in which circulation of the ink in the ink circulation flow passage is stopped, a reception unit that receives a set input value of the ink circulation stop period, and a controller that controls a back pressure of the ink jet head at a start of the ink circulation stop period in accordance with the set input value of the ink circulation stop period received by the reception unit.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to additive manufacturing apparatuses, cleaning stations incorporated therein, and methods of cleaning using the cleaning stations.

Methods to wipe a print head are described. In an example of a method, an amount of treatment fluid is determined based on a temperature of the print head and the print head is wiped with the determined amount of treatment fluid and a wiping medium.

To provide a head device, a liquid jetting apparatus, and a head maintenance method with which it is possible to suppress a decrease in performance of a liquid-repellent film on a nozzle surface that is caused by a wiping process with respect to the nozzle surface. Provided is a head device including an ink jet head (10) in which a liquid-repellent film (10B) is formed on a nozzle surface (10A) and a head control unit. The head control unit applies a negative pressure to liquid in a nozzle, performs a non-jetting driving operation of causing the liquid in the nozzle to vibrate without being jetted, and stops the non-jetting driving operation for a wiping target nozzle (12A) with which a wiping member (22) to be used in a wiping process comes into contact in a case where the wiping process with respect to the nozzle surface is to be performed.