| 摘要 |
PURPOSE:To distribute waste ink in equal amounts and prevent an overflow of the waste ink from occurring in a specified ink cartridge by distributing the waste ink, generated by a recovery process for a recording head, to waste ink-recovering parts of first and second cartridges. CONSTITUTION:Waste inks of each color from each nozzle of a recording head 20 are sent into a waste ink buffer 80 through a pump 262. The waste ink is supplied from the buffer 80 into a buffer absorber 82, and is further absorbed in communicating absorbers 83 disposed next to the absorber 82. The communicating absorbers 83 permit the ink absorbed therein to gradually permeate therethrough into waste ink collectors 51, 61, which gradually recover the waste ink. The waste ink collectors 51, 61 are constituted of a porous material, a fibrous nonwoven fabric or the like. When the amount of the waste ink retained in one of the collectors 51, 61 is increased with the result of a lowering in ink-absorbing capability, the waste ink comes to be absorbed in the other collector, whereby the waste ink is collected evenly in the collectors. |
