An ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head having an ink discharge opening for discharging ink, a suction system for applying negative pressure to the ink discharge opening to suck ink therefrom to recover proper discharge of ink, and a first capping member for capping the ink discharge opening, the member being connected to the suction system to apply negative pressure to the discharge opening when it is capped. The apparatus also includes an ink retaining portion for retaining ink to be fed to the recording head, a vent opening in the ink retaining portion, and a second capping member for capping the vent opening. The capping members are operable in a first mode in which the first capping member does not cap the discharge opening and the second capping member does not cap the vent opening, a second mode in which the first capping member caps the ink discharge opening and the second capping member does not cap the vent opening, and a third mode in which the first capping member caps the ink discharge opening and the second capping member caps the vent opening.
A printing apparatus having a printhead for printing by discharging liquid on a printing medium performs a toggle preliminary discharge operation of alternately performing discharge from main nozzles and dummy nozzles in order to establish a good discharge state of the liquid from the main nozzles. The main nozzles and the dummy nozzles communicate with liquid chambers, which in turn communicate with a common liquid chamber. A control circuit for the printhead and a control method are also provided.
An ink-jet printer has a suction cap for avoiding discharge failure of an ink from a printing head. When the printing head comes to a restoring area, the suction cap is moved from a waiting position at which the suction cap is retracted from a passage for movement of the printing head to a protruding position at which the suction cap protrudes into the passage for movement of the printing head. The suction cap covers a nozzle surface of the printing head. A purge unit is driven to suck the ink remaining in the printing head through the suction cap. The suction cap is supported by a casing so that the suction cap is swingable when it is pressed against the printing head. The suction cap makes tight contact with the printing head in response to the nozzle surface of the printing head
An inkjet recording apparatus can reduce operations or time for preliminary discharge and reduce the influence of mist. A recovery mechanism portion is provided in which a slide member on which a cap is mounted is moved along cam surfaces following a movement of a carriage to cause the cap to abut against a recording head for capping. A first preliminary discharge position where ink is discharged from the recording head into the cap and a second preliminary discharge position where a distance between the recording head and the cap is shorter than the distance in the first preliminary discharge position are provided between a recording area where the recording head forms an image on a recording medium and a capping position.
An ink jet head has a reservoir containing hot melt ink and an orifice plate with orifices, along with passages leading from the reservoir to the orifices to conduct ink thereto. The ink jet head includes a heater to melt the ink in the reservoir, along with a further heater to heat air in the airspace above the ink in the reservoir, and the reservoir has a sealable vent which is sealed by a sealing element at a maintenance station so that heating of the air increases the pressure in the reservoir to cause purging, an absorbent member being provided at the maintenance station adjacent to the orifice plate to trap ink ejected during purging.
An ink-jet printer has a suction cap for avoiding discharge failure of an ink from a printing head. When the printing head comes to a restoring area, the suction cap is moved from a waiting position at which the suction cap is retracted from a passage for movement of the printing head to a protruding position at which the suction cap protrudes into the passage for movement of the printing head. The suction cap covers a nozzle surface of the printing head. A purge unit is driven to suck the ink remaining in the printing head through the suction cap. The suction cap is supported by a casing so that the suction cap is swingable when it is pressed against the printing head. The suction cap makes tight contact with the printing head in response to the nozzle surface of the printing head
