摘要 |
A cleaner or replenishing cartridge and a method of cleaning an inkjet printing mechanism using such a cartridge is disclosed. An inkjet pen within the printing mechanism is replaced by cleaner cartridge which is then positioned over or adjacent to a location of the printing mechanism to be cleaned. Power is applied to the cartridge either by coupling an on-board battery via a signal from the carriage interconnect, or through pulses applied through the interconnect. The cartridge may be fashioned for dispensing a fluid, such as an ink solvent, a lubricant, or a staticide to various printer components. The fluid may also be supplied to replenish a printer reservoir. The cartridge may be used for extracting ink sludge from the printer's ink lines, or for applying a vacuum suction force to draw particles into the cartridge. The cartridge may propel a strip of cleaning media across an area to be cleaned, or refurbish worn printhead wipers. By removing various accumulations of dirt, grit, and solidified ink from the printer, print quality may be improved and operation of the printer restored to a near-new condition.
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