| 摘要 |
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a head maintenance mechanism which can supply fluid into a head cap without newly consuming ink.SOLUTION: A head maintenance mechanism comprises: a head cap 21 which can cap an ink nozzle surface 3a of a print head 3; and a waste ink recovery path 24 which recovers waste ink I discharged from the print head 3 to the head cap 21 to a waste ink tank. An intermediate tank 42 which stores a prescribed amount of the waste ink I is provided in the middle of the waste ink recovery path 24. A space upper than an ink surface of the waste ink I in the intermediate tank 42 and the interior of the head cap 21 communicate with each other via a communication path 48. When the ink nozzle surface 3a is capped by the head cap 21, water vapor from the waste ink I stored in the intermediate tank 42 can be supplied into the head cap 21 via the communication path 48.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4 |
