Patent Publication Number: US-11390085-B2

Title: Wiping device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-138049, filed on Jul. 26, 2019, Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-138050, filed on Jul. 26, 2019, Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-138048, filed on Jul. 26, 2019 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-31062, filed on Feb. 26, 2020. The above application is hereby expressly incorporated by reference, in its entirety, into the present application. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention is related to a wiping device that wipes an ink ejection surface of a nozzle row of an ink jet head. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Conventionally, ink jet printing apparatuses that administer printing onto print media such as paper and film by ejecting ink from ink jet heads have been proposed. In addition, employing such ink jet printing apparatuses to conduct printing processes on base materials such as building materials and decorative panels has also been proposed. 
     There are cases in which ink becomes fixed or paper dust from printing sheets becomes adhered onto ink ejection outlets of nozzles in ink jet printing apparatuses. In the case that ink is fixed or paper dust is accumulated onto the ink ejection outlets of the nozzles, there may be cases in which ejection failures, such as deviance in the ejection direction of ink from the nozzles or non-ejection, will occur. 
     A series of operations for reducing such ejection failures is known. First, ink is forcibly ejected from nozzles of an ink jet head, to conduct a so called “purge”. Next, a wiping blade wipes along ink ejection outlets of the nozzles. Thereby, ink which is fixed onto the ink ejection outlets of the nozzles as well as debris which is present on the ink ejection outlets of the nozzles are removed by the wiping blade. In addition, deterioration in the water repelling properties of an ink ejection surface and drying of the nozzles are prevented. 
     The wiping operation described above enables contaminants to be removed from the ink ejection outlets. However, the wiping operation also results in the wiping blade being contaminated. 
     Therefore, Japanese Patent No. 4954852 proposes a method in which a wiping blade which is contaminated with ink is caused to contact a sponge or the like, and then immersed in a cleansing tank which is filled with a cleansing solution. 
     In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-155279 proposes a method for improving the maintenance performance of a maintenance mechanism of a head that employs a wet type wiping means in which a wiping blade is moistened. 
     Further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-290313 proposes a method in which a nozzle surface of an ink jet head is wiped by a rotatable wiping blade, and then the wiping blade is immersed in a cleansing tank. 
     Still further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-79681 discloses that a wiping blade wipes a nozzle surface of an ink jet head, the wiping blade moves to a region external to nozzles thereafter, and then the wiping blade is vibrated to remove liquid and debris which are attached thereto. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     However, in the method which is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4954852, there are cases in which the wiping blade will be recontaminated by the sponge which is contaminated by ink and the cleansing solution which has been utilized previously. 
     In addition, the method which is proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-1155279 performs a wiping operation after impregnating a wiping blade which is formed by a porous material with a cleansing solution. However, deformation and bloating of the porous material occurs due to being moistened by the cleansing solution. As a result, there is a possibility that the porous wiping blade cannot be pressed against the ink jet head uniformly, thereby decreasing wiping performance. 
     Further, in the method which is proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-290313, there are cases in which ink that adheres to the wiping blade due to a wiping operation contaminates the cleansing solution within the cleansing tank, resulting in recontamination of the wiping blade. 
     Still further, ink and the like that become adhered to a wiping blade cannot be sufficiently removed merely by vibrating the wiping blade as in the method which is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-79681. 
     The present invention has been developed in view of the foregoing circumstances. It is an object of the present invention to provide a wiping device which is capable of wiping an ink jet head with a wiping blade which is always wetted with an uncontaminated cleansing solution. 
     A wiping device of the present invention is equipped with: a wiping blade for wiping an ink ejection surface of a nozzle row of an ink jet head having the nozzle row in which a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink are arranged; a cleansing tank in which a cleansing solution is stored and the wiping blade is immersed; and a spraying unit that sprays the cleansing solution onto the wiping blade. 
     The wiping device of the present invention is equipped with the cleansing tank in which the wiping blade is immersed and the spraying unit that sprays the cleansing solution onto the wiping blade. Therefore, it is possible for the wiping blade to be cleansed by the spraying unit with uncontaminated cleansing solution, and for the cleansed wiping blade to be immersed into the cleansing tank. Accordingly, contamination of the cleansing solution within the cleansing tank can also be prevented. Therefore, it is possible to wipe an ink jet head with a wiping blade which is always wetted with an uncontaminated cleansing solution. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view that illustrates the schematic configuration of an ink jet printing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram that illustrates the schematic configuration of a shuttle unit. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view that illustrates the outer appearance of an ink jet head. 
         FIG. 4  is a diagram that partially illustrates a cross section taken along line A-A of the ink jet head illustrated in  FIG. 3   
         FIG. 5  is a diagram that illustrates the schematic configuration of a capping unit. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view that illustrates the outer appearance of an ink removing unit. 
         FIG. 7  is a left side view of the ink removing unit illustrated in  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 8A  is a diagram for explaining an ink removing operation which is performed by the ink removing unit. 
         FIG. 8B  is a diagram for explaining an ink removing operation which is performed by the ink removing unit. 
         FIG. 8C  is a diagram for explaining an ink removing operation which is performed by the ink removing unit. 
         FIG. 9  is a diagram that illustrates an absorbing member following a first ink removing operation as viewed from above. 
         FIG. 10  is a diagram that illustrates the absorbing member following a second ink removing operation as viewed from above. 
         FIG. 11  is a diagram that illustrates an example of a configuration for pressing two stacked absorbing members against a nozzle guard and an ink ejection surface. 
         FIG. 12  is a diagram that illustrates an example of a configuration for pressing two stacked absorbing members against a nozzle guard and an ink ejection surface. 
         FIG. 13  is a diagram that illustrates the inner configuration of a wiping unit. 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view that illustrates the state of the interior of the wiping unit in a standby state. 
         FIG. 15  is a perspective view that illustrates the state of the interior of the wiping unit during a cleansing solution spraying operation. 
         FIG. 16  is a diagram that illustrates the position of a wiping blade during wiping of the ink jet head. 
         FIG. 17  is a diagram that illustrates the position of a wiping blade during spraying of the cleansing solution. 
         FIG. 18  is a diagram that illustrates the manner in which the wiping blade is reciprocally rotated. 
         FIG. 19  is a diagram that illustrates another embodiment of a blade fixing member. 
         FIG. 20  is a diagram that illustrates another embodiment of the blade fixing member. 
         FIG. 21  is a block diagram that illustrates a control system of the ink jet printing apparatus illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 22A  is a diagram for explaining a cleaning operation of the ink jet printing apparatus illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 22B  is a diagram for explaining a cleaning operation of the ink jet printing apparatus illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 22C  is a diagram for explaining a cleaning operation of the ink jet printing apparatus illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 23A  is a diagram for explaining the cleaning operation of the ink jet printing apparatus illustrated in  FIG. 1 .] 
         FIG. 23B  is a diagram for explaining the cleaning operation of the ink jet printing apparatus illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 24  is a diagram that illustrates an example of the state of ink which seeps out from a gap of the nozzle guard due to the absorbing member being pressed against the nozzle guard. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter, an ink jet printing apparatus that employs an embodiment of a wiping device of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. The ink jet printing apparatus according to the present embodiment is characterized by a wiping operation of an ink jet head. First, the overall configuration of the ink jet printing apparatus will be described.  FIG. 1  is a perspective view that illustrates the schematic configuration of an ink jet printing apparatus  1  according to the present embodiment. Note that in the description of the embodiment below, the up, down, left, right, front, and back directions which are indicated by the arrows in  FIG. 1  will be designated as the up, down, left, right, front, and back directions in the ink jet printing apparatus  1 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the ink jet printing apparatus  1  of the present embodiment is equipped with a shuttle base unit  2 , a flat bed unit  3 , and a shuttle unit  4 . 
     The shuttle base unit  2  supports the shuttle unit  4  and moves the shuttle unit  4  in the front to back direction (sub scanning direction). Specifically, the shuttle base unit  2  is equipped with a gantry unit  11  and a sub scanning drive motor  12  (refer to  FIG. 18 ). 
     The gantry section  11  is formed in the shape of a rectangular frame and supports the shuttle unit  4 . Sub scanning drive guides  13 A and  13 B that extend in the front to back direction are respectively formed above the left and right sides of the frame of the gantry section  11 . The sub scanning drive guides  13 A and  13 B guide the shuttle unit  4  so as to move in the front to back direction. The sub scanning drive motor  12  moves the shuttle unit  4  in the front to back direction. 
     The flat bed unit  3  supports a print medium  15  such as a building material or a decorative panel. The flatbed unit  3  is arranged in a rectangular parallelepiped shaped recess formed inside the gantry section  11  of the shuttle base unit  2 . The flat bed unit  3  has a medium placement surface  3   a , which is a horizontal surface on which the print medium  15  is placed. The flat bed unit  3  has an elevating mechanism which is equipped with a hydraulic drive mechanism (not shown) or the like. This configuration enables the height of the medium mounting surface  3   a  to be adjusted. 
     The shuttle unit  4  performs printing processes on the print medium  15 .  FIG. 2  is a diagram that illustrates the schematic configuration of the shuttle unit  4 . As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the shuttle unit  4  is equipped with a housing  21 , a main scanning drive guide  22 , a main scanning drive motor  23  (refer to  FIG. 18 ), a head elevating guide  24 , a head elevating motor  25  (refer to  FIG. 18 ), a head unit  26 , a capping unit  66 , a suction unit  28 , an ink removing unit  29 , and a wiping unit  30 . 
     The housing  21  accommodates components such as the head unit  26 . The housing  21  is formed in the shape of a gate that straddles the flatbed unit  3  in the left to right direction. The housing  21  is supported by the gantry unit  11  of the shuttle base unit  2  and is configured to be movable along the sub scanning drive guides  13 A and  13 B. 
     The main scanning drive guide  22  guides the head unit  26  so as to move in the left to right direction (main scanning direction). The main scanning drive guide  22  is formed by an elongated member that extends in the left to right direction. The head unit  26  is moved in the left to right direction by the main scanning drive motor  23 . 
     The head elevating guide  24  guides the head unit  26  so as to move in the vertical direction. The head elevating guide  24  is formed by a vertically elongated member. The head elevating guide  24  is configured to be movable in the left to right direction along with the head unit  26  along the main scanning drive guide  22 . The head unit  26  is moved in the vertical direction by the head elevating motor  25 . 
     The head unit  26  performs a printing process by ejecting ink onto the print medium  15  while moving in the left to right direction along the main scanning drive guide  22  as described above. The head unit  26  has four ink jet heads  31 , as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . Note that the number of ink jet heads  31  is not limited to four, and five or more ink jet heads  31  may be provided in the head unit  26 , for example. 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view that illustrates the outer appearance of an ink jet head  31 , and  FIG. 4  is a diagram that illustrates a portion of a cross section of the ink jet head  31  taken along line A-A of  FIG. 3 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the ink jet head  31  is equipped with a nozzle plate  36  and a nozzle guard  32 . The nozzle plate  36  has a nozzle row in which a plurality of ink ejection outlets  37  of the nozzles that eject ink are arranged in the front to back direction. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the nozzle guard  32  has an opening  46  in a portion corresponding to the nozzle row of the nozzle plate  36 , and is provided on the ink ejection surface  36   a  of the nozzle row with a gap  40  therebetween. Note that in the present embodiment, the ink ejection surface  36   a  is a surface on which the openings of the ink ejection outlets  37  of the nozzles are arranged, and is the same surface as the surface of the nozzle plate  36 . 
     The nozzle guard  32  protects the ink ejection surface  36   a  of the nozzle plate  36 . Specifically, the nozzle guard  32  has a bottom plate  41  which is formed so as to cover the periphery of the nozzle row, and a side wall  42  which is erected on the peripheral edge of the bottom plate  41 . The aforementioned opening  46  is formed in the bottom plate  41 , and the gap  40  is formed between the bottom plate  41  and the ink ejection surface  36   a . The opening  46  is formed in a rectangular shape which is elongated in the front to back direction such that the ink ejection outlets  37  of all the nozzles are exposed. The gap  40  is formed by a space between the bottom plate  41  of the nozzle guard  32  and the peripheral edge of the ink ejection surface  36   a  that faces the bottom plate  41  when the nozzle guard  32  is attached to the nozzle plate  36 . 
     Returning to  FIG. 2 , the four ink jet heads  31  are arranged side by side in the left to right direction. The four ink jet heads  31  eject ink of different colors (for example, cyan, black, magenta, and yellow). 
     One end of an ink supply pipe  53  is connected to each of the ink jet heads  31 . A supply pump  55  (refer to  FIG. 18 ) is provided in the ink supply pipe  53 , and the supply pump  55  operates to supply the inks to the ink jet heads  31  via the ink supply pipe  53 . 
     The capping unit  66  seals the opening  46  of the nozzle guard  32  in order to prevent the ink ejection outlets  37  of the nozzles from drying while the ink jet printing apparatus  1  is in a standby state in which a printing process is not being performed. 
     The capping unit  66  is installed in the interior of the housing  21  at the right end portion thereof, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . The head unit  26  hermetically seals the opening  46  of the nozzle guard  32  when the head unit  26  moves to a standby position at the right end of the housing  21 . 
     The capping unit  66  is equipped with a cap  71  and a cap base  72 , as illustrated in  FIG. 5 . The cap  71  is equipped with an oval bottom portion  76  and a peripheral wall  77  which is erected on the periphery of the bottom portion  76 . A suction aperture  78  for suctioning the ink which is ejected from the ink jet head  31  during purging is formed in the bottom portion  76 . A suction pipe  68  of the suction unit  28  to be described later is connected to the suction aperture  78 . The cap base  72  is a base on which the cap  71  is formed. 
     The capping unit  66  is moved in the vertical direction by a cap elevating motor  67  (refer to  FIG. 18 ). Specifically, the capping unit  66  moves up and down between a contact position at which the peripheral wall  77  of the cap  71  contacts the nozzle guard  32 , and a retracted position below the contact position. 
     The suction unit  28  provided below the capping unit  66  suctions ink which is accumulated in the capping unit  66 . The suction unit  28  is equipped with four suction pipes  68 , four suction pumps  69 , and a waste liquid tank  70 . 
     One end of each of the four suction pipes  68  is connected to the suction aperture  78  which is formed in the bottom portion  76  of each of the four caps  71 , and the other end of each of the four suction pipes  68  is connected to the waste liquid tank  70 . A suction pump  69  is provided for each suction pipe  68 . 
     The ink which is accumulated in the capping unit  66  flows out to the suction aperture  78  of each cap  71  due to suction by the suction pump  69 , and is stored in the waste liquid tank  70  via each of the suction pipes  68 . 
     Incidentally, a series of operations for reducing ejection failures due to contamination of ink ejection outlets of nozzles is conventionally known, as described above. First, ink is forcibly ejected from nozzles of an ink jet head, to conduct a so called “purge”. Next, a wiping blade wipes along ink ejection outlets of the nozzles. Thereby, ink which is fixed onto the ink ejection outlets of the nozzles as well as debris which is present on the ink ejection outlets of the nozzles are removed by the wiping blade. 
     Here, as in the ink jet head  31  of the present embodiment, there are ink jet heads in which a gap  40  is present between the ink ejection surface  36   a  and the nozzle guard  32 . When the purging and wiping operations described above are performed in such an ink jet head  31 , a portion of the ink which is adhered to the ink ejection surface  36   a  enters the gap  40  between the ink ejection surface  36   a  and the nozzle guard  32 . 
     For example, when the printing process is performed while moving the ink jet head  31  as in the present embodiment, there is a possibility that ink, which has entered the gap  40 , will move toward the opening  46  of the nozzle guard  32  due to the movement of the ink jet head  31  during the printing process. The ink which has moved in this manner may block the ink ejection outlets  37  of the nozzles, resulting in ejection failure. 
     Further, in the standby state during which a printing process is not being performed, the opening  46  of the nozzle guard  32  is sealed by the cap  71  and the tip of the nozzle is protected from drying. However, there is a possibility that the ink which has entered the gap  40  will moves toward the opening  46  of the nozzle guard  32  due to repeated opening and closing operations of the cap  71 . The ink which has moved in this manner may block the ink ejection outlets  37  of the nozzles, resulting in ejection failure. 
     In addition, in order to perform favorable ink ejection from the nozzles, it is necessary for a meniscus to be formed in each of the ink ejection outlets  37  of the nozzles. However, in the case that the ink within the gap  40  described above remains near the ink ejection outlets  37  of the nozzles, it becomes difficult to form a meniscus and favorable ink ejection cannot be performed. 
     For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-32930 proposes a device that performs a wiping operation by moving a wiping blade from one short side of two opposing short sides of a rectangular ink ejection surface to the other short side. 
     However, it is very difficult to remove the aforementioned ink which has entered the gap  40  by the wiping operation disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-32930. For example, in the case that a wiping operation is performed by moving the wiping blade from one short side of the rectangular ink ejection surface toward the other short side as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-32930, although there is a possibility that the ink within the gap at one short side can be removed, it is difficult to remove the ink from the gaps at the remaining three sides. 
     Further, Japanese Patent No. 5026236 proposes sealing an ink jet head with a cap and suctioning ink to perform a cleaning operation of the ink jet head. Further, Japanese Patent No. 6147582 proposes a method in which a pressure with which a cap is pressed against an ink jet head is weakened when the cap that seals an ink ejection surface of an ink jet head is employed to perform suction to conduct maintenance, thereby suppressing seepage of ink within a gap between the ink ejection surface and a nozzle guard onto the ink ejection surface. 
     However, the methods which are disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 5026236 and Japanese Patent No. 6147582 are not methods of directly removing the ink within the gap between the nozzle guard and the ink ejection surface. Therefore, there is a possibility that the ink within the gap will move onto the ink ejection surface due to the movement of the ink jet head, and the moved ink may block the ink ejection outlet of the nozzle, resulting in ejection failure as described above. 
     Therefore, the ink jet printing apparatus  1  of the present embodiment is equipped with the ink removing unit  29  for removing the ink within the gap between the nozzle guard  32  and the ink ejection surface  36   a.    
     The ink removing unit  29  is installed inside the left end portion of the housing  21  of the shuttle unit  4  as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . The ink removing unit  29  is a mechanism that removes ink which has entered the gap  40  formed between the bottom plate  41  of the nozzle guard  32  and the ink ejection surface  36   a  by pressing an absorbing member  50  that absorbs ink against the nozzle guard  32  and the ink ejection surface  36   a  of the ink jet head  31 . 
     Here, in the case that the absorbing member  50  is pressed against the opening  46  of the nozzle guard  32  and the ink ejection surface  36   a  of the ink jet head  31  to remove the ink within the gap  40  as described above, if a sheet shaped absorbing member  50  which is cut approximately to the size of the ejection surface  36   a , for example, is employed as the absorbing member  50 , it will be necessary to exchange the absorbing member  50  each time it is pressed against the ink ejection surface  36   a , and maintenance properties will be poor. Therefore, in the ink removing unit  29  of the present embodiment, a rolled absorbing member R which is a long absorbing member  50  wound in the form of a roll is employed instead of the sheet shaped absorbing member  50  described above. 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view that illustrates the outer appearance of the ink removing unit  29 .  FIG. 7  is a left side view of the ink removing unit  29  illustrated in  FIG. 6 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the ink removing unit  29  is equipped with a pressing base  91 , a feed roller  92 , a winding roller  93 , a feed side conveyance roller  94 , a winding side conveyance roller  95 , and a pressing base elevating mechanism  96 . In the present embodiment, the feed roller  92 , the winding roller  93 , the feed side conveyance roller  94 , the winding side conveyance roller  95 , and a winding motor  29   a  to be described later correspond to the conveyance unit of the present invention. Further, the pressing base  91 , the pressing base elevating mechanism  96  and a pressing base elevating motor  29   b  to be described later correspond to the pressing unit of the present invention. 
     The feed roller  92 , the feed side conveyance roller  94 , the winding side conveyance roller  95 , and the winding roller  93  are roller members that extend in the left to right direction. 
     The feed roller  92  is a roller on which the rolled absorbing member R which is the absorbing member  50  wound in the shape of a roll is provided. The feed roller  92  is a roller that feeds the absorbing member  50  which is unwound from the rolled absorbing member R toward the winding roller  93 . 
     The absorbing member  50  may be made of any material as long as it is capable of absorbing ink. However, it is preferable for the absorbing member to be a porous sheet. A printing sheet which has porosity may be employed as the porous sheet. 
     It is preferable for the width of the absorbing member  50  in the left to right direction (the arrangement direction of the four ink jet heads  31 ) to be twice the sum of the widths of all of the ink jet heads  31  (four ink jet heads  31  in the present embodiment) in the head unit  26  in the left to right direction or greater. 
     The feed side conveyance roller  94  is provided above the feed roller  92 . The absorbing member  50  which is fed from the feed roller  92  is conveyed in the horizontal direction while contacting the outer circumference of the feed side conveyance roller  94 , and is conveyed from the front side to the rear side thereby. 
     The winding side conveyance roller  95  is provided at the same height as the feed side conveyance roller  94  and is provided above the winding roller  93 . The absorbing member  50  which is fed from the feed side conveyance roller  94  is delivered to the winding side conveyance roller  95 , and is conveyed vertically downward while contacting the outer periphery of the winding side conveyance roller  95 , such that the winding-up of the lower portion of the absorbing member is conveyed toward the roller  93  below. 
     The winding roller  93  is provided at the same height as the feed roller  92  and is provided below the winding side conveyance roller  95 . The winding roller  93  is a roller that winds up the absorbing member  50  which is conveyed downward by the winding side conveyance roller  95 . 
     The winding roller  93  is a drive roller which is rotated by the winding motor  29   a  (refer to  FIG. 18 ). The feed roller  92 , the feed side conveyance roller  94 , and the winding side conveyance roller  95  are driven rollers that rotate due to friction with the absorbing member  50  which is drawn out from the rolled absorbing member R by the winding roller  93 . 
     The pressing base  91  and the pressing base elevating mechanism  96  are provided between the feed side conveyance roller  94  and the winding side conveyance roller  95 . The absorbing member  50  is stretched between the feed side conveyance roller  94  and the winding side conveyance roller  95  with a constant tension. The pressing base  91  is provided below the stretched absorbing member  50  with a predetermined interval therebetween. 
     The pressing base  91  is a rectangular parallelepiped table made of a material having a certain degree of rigidity such as a metal. A cushion portion  90  is provided on the upper surface of the pressing base  91 . 
     The cushion portion  90  is formed of an elastic member. A sponge cloth, a silicon sheet, a rubber sheet, etc. may be employed as the cushion portion  90 , for example. 
     By providing the cushion portion  90  on the upper surface of the pressing base  91 , close contact properties of the absorbing member  50  with respect to the nozzle guard  32  and the ink ejection surface  36   a  can be improved when the absorbing member  50  is pressed against the nozzle guard  32  and the ink ejection surface  36   a  of the ink jet head  31 . As a result, it becomes possible to uniformly remove the ink which has seeped out from the gap  40  between the ink ejection surface  36   a  and the nozzle guard  32 . 
     Further, the pressing base elevating mechanism  96  for moving the pressing base  91  in the vertical direction is provided below the pressing base  91 . The pressing base elevating mechanism  96  is configured to be driven by a pressing base elevating motor  29   b  (refer to  FIG. 18 ) to expand and contract in the vertical direction. The expanding and contracting operations causes the pressing base  91  to move in the vertical direction. 
       FIG. 8A ˜ 8 C is a diagram for explaining the ink removing operation which is performed by the ink removing unit  29  described above. First, the head unit  26  is moved to a position above the absorbing member  50  which is stretched between the feed side conveyance roller  94  and the winding side conveyance roller  95 . Then, the ink jet heads  31  are purged in a state where the four ink jet heads  31  of the head unit  26  are arranged above the absorbing member  50  with an interval therebetween. In  FIG. 8A , PI indicated by the dotted oval denotes the ink remaining on the ink ejection surface  36   a  of the ink jet head  31  due to the purge. 
     Then, after the purge described above, the pressing base elevating mechanism  96  extends upward such that the pressing base  91  rises as illustrated in  FIG. 8B . The cushion portion  90  and the absorbing member  50  come into contact with each other due to the upward movement of the pressing base  91 , and then the absorbing member  50  is pressed against the nozzle guard  32  with a predetermined pressure by further upward movement of the pressing base  91 . The ink which has entered the gap  40  formed between the bottom plate  41  of the nozzle guard  32  and the ink ejection surface  36   a  is pushed out toward the opening  46  of the nozzle guard  32 . Then, when the absorbing member  50  is pressed against the ink ejection surface  36   a , the ink which is pushed out from the gap  40  is absorbed by the absorbing member  50 . 
     Then, after a certain period of time elapses in a state in which the absorbing member  50  is pressed against the nozzle guard  32  and the ink ejection surface  36   a , the pressing base elevating mechanism  96  contracts, and the pressing base  91  moves downward and becomes in a state in which it is separated from the absorbing member  50 , as illustrated in  FIG. 8C . 
     The ink jet printing apparatus  1  of the present embodiment is equipped with the ink removing unit  29  described above. After the ink is ejected from the ink jet head  31  at a predetermined pressure to perform the purging operation, the ink removing unit  29  performs the ink removing operation. Therefore, it is possible for the ink within the gap between the nozzle guard and the ink ejection surface to be removed. 
     Next, after the pressing base  91  is separated from the absorbing member  50 , the winding roller  93  is rotated such that a portion of the absorbing member  50  which has absorbed the ink is conveyed rearward. At this time, the absorbing member  50  is conveyed for the length of the ink jet head  31  in the direction that the nozzle rows extend. 
     By the absorbing member  50  being conveyed in this manner, a new region of the absorbing member  50  which has not absorbed ink is disposed at a position that faces the ink ejection surface  36   a  of the ink jet head  31 . 
     Accordingly, it is not necessary to replace the sheet shaped absorbing member, the frequency of replacement can be reduced, and the maintenance properties can be improved. 
     Here, the four ink jet heads  31  which are provided in the head unit  26  are arranged at predetermined intervals in the left to right direction. In the present embodiment, the widths of the intervals among the ink jet heads  31  are at least the width of the ink jet heads  31  in the left to right direction (a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the nozzle rows of the ink jet heads  31  extend). 
     Accordingly, regions at which the absorbing member  50  absorbs the ink by a single ink removing operation which is described above are also regions among which predetermined intervals are present in the left to right direction.  FIG. 9  is a diagram that illustrates an absorbing member  50  following a first ink removing operation as viewed from above. The hatched portions in  FIG. 9  are the regions at which the ink is absorbed. As illustrated in  FIG. 9 , the regions at which the ink is absorbed are also arranged at the same intervals as the ink jet heads  31 . That is, the regions of the absorbing member  50  among the regions at which the ink is absorbed have not absorbed ink, and are in the same state as an unused state. 
     Therefore, as illustrated in  FIG. 8C , before the absorbing member  50  is conveyed backward, an absorbing member moving unit  51  (refer to  FIG. 18 ) may cause the ink removing unit  29  to move in the left to right direction by at least the same distance as the width of the ink jet head  31 . The absorbing member moving unit  51  is constituted by a known actuator. In the present embodiment, the absorbing member moving unit  51  corresponds to the moving unit of the present invention. 
     As a result, when performing a next purging operation, the ink can be absorbed at the aforementioned unused area of the absorbing member  50  as well by raising the pressing base  91  as illustrated in  FIG. 8B , and it becomes possible for the absorbing member  50  to be utilized more efficiently.  FIG. 10  is a diagram that illustrates the regions at which ink is absorbed by the absorbing member  50  by a second ink removing operation. 
     Note that in the present embodiment, the absorbing member moving unit  51  moves the ink removing unit  29 . However, the head unit  26  may be relatively moved for a distance equal to the widths of the ink jet heads  31  by moving the head unit  26  or moving both the ink removing unit  29  and the head unit  26 . By changing the regions at which the ink jet heads  31  are pressed against the absorbing member  50  by moving for a distance equal to the widths of the ink jet heads  31  in this manner, it becomes possible to utilize the absorbing member  50  more efficiently without gaps of unutilized portions. 
     Then, after the second ink removing operation is performed, the absorbing member  50  may be conveyed backward as illustrated in  FIG. 8C . As a result, the unutilized regions of the absorbing member  50  can be again arranged immediately below the head unit  26 , the ink removing operation can be performed twice again, and maintenance properties can be improved. 
     At this time, the absorbing member  50  may be utilized more efficiently without gaps of unutilized portions by conveying the absorbing member  50  for the lengths of the ink jet heads  31  in the direction in which the nozzle rows of the ink jet heads  31  extend. 
     Note that with respect to conveyance of the absorbing member  50  in the front to back direction, the amount of conveyance is controlled by controlling the amount of rotation of the winding motor  29   a  by a control unit  5 . However due to the change in the diameter of the rolled absorbing member R accompanying utilization thereof, a desired amount of conveyance may not be achieved even if the winding motor  29   a  is rotated by a preset rotation amount. 
     Therefore, a conveyance amount detector such as a rotary encoder may be provided in at least one of the feed side conveyance roller  94  and the winding side conveyance roller  95 . Thereby, the amount of conveyance of the absorbing member  50  can be detected, and the control unit  5  may control the amount of rotation of the winding motor  29   a  based on the detected amount of conveyance to achieve a desired amount of conveyance 
     In addition, in the present embodiment, a single absorbing member  50  which is unwound from the rolled absorbing member R is pressed against the ink jet head  31 , as described above, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. In the case that a large amount of ink enters the gap  40  of the ink jet head  31 , for example, a plurality of absorbing members  50  may be pressed against the ink jet head  31  in a stacked state.  FIG. 11  and  FIG. 12  are diagrams that illustrate examples of configurations in which two absorbing members  50  are pressed against the nozzle guard  32  and the ink ejection surface  36   a  in a stacked state. 
     In the configuration illustrated in  FIG. 11 , the absorbing member  50  which is unwound from the rolled absorbing member R provided on the feed roller  92  is conveyed toward the bottom of the ink jet head  31  from the rear side to the front side. The absorbing member  50  which has passed directly beneath the ink jet heads  31  is folded back to the opposite side by a first conveyance roller  97   a  and is conveyed under the ink jet heads  31  again. 
     The first conveyance roller  97   a  is provided at the same height as the feed roller  92 , and is installed on the opposite side of the feed roller  92  with the head unit  26  interposed therebetween. 
     Then, the absorbing member  50  which is folded back by the first conveyance roller  97   a  again passes directly under the ink jet head  31  and is conveyed to a second conveyance roller  97   b . The second conveyance roller  97   b  is provided obliquely below the front side of the feed roller  92 . 
     Then, the absorbing member  50  which is transported to the second conveyance roller  97   b  is folded back to the opposite side by the second conveyance roller  97   b  and is wound by the winding roller  93 . The winding roller  93  is arranged obliquely below the front side of the second conveyance roller  97   b.    
     As described above, the absorbing member  50  which has passed directly below the ink jet head  31  is folded back to the opposite side by the first conveyance roller  97   a  and is conveyed such that the absorbing member  50  is conveyed directly below the ink jet heads  31  twice. If the pressing base  91  is raised in such a conveyance state of the absorbing member  50 , it becomes possible to press the two absorbing members  50  against the ink jet head  31  in the range indicated by the dotted oval illustrated in  FIG. 11  in a stacked state. Accordingly, even in the case that a large amount of ink enters the gap  40  of the ink jet heads  31 , the two absorbing members  50  can sufficiently absorb the ink. 
     Next, the configuration illustrated in  FIG. 12  is that in which another set of the feed roller  92 , the feed side conveyance roller  94 , the winding side conveyance roller  95 , and the winding roller  93  of the present embodiment is provided below the head unit  26 . In the configuration illustrated in  FIG. 12 , another set of a feed side conveyance roller  98  and a winding side conveyance roller  99  is located below the feed side conveyance roller  94  and the winding side conveyance roller  95  at positions close to the pressing base  91 . Note that the feed roller  92 , the winding roller  93 , and another set of rollers that correspond to these rollers are not illustrated in  FIG. 12 . 
     In the configuration illustrated in  FIG. 12  as well, in the case that the pressing base  91  is moved upward, the two absorbing members  50  can be pressed against the ink jet heads  31  in a stacked state. Thereby, even when a large amount of ink enters the gap  40  of the ink jet head  31 , the two absorbing members  50  can sufficiently absorb the ink. 
     Further, the control unit  5  may switch between an operation that presses one absorbing member  50  against the nozzle guard  32  and the ink ejection surface  36   a , and an operation that presses a plurality of absorbent members  50  against the nozzle guard  32  and the ink ejection surface  36   a  according to the amount of ink that enters the gap  40  of the ink jet heads  31 . Specifically, in the case of the configuration illustrated in  FIG. 12 , for example, in the case that the control unit  5  performs an operation of pressing one absorbing member  50  against the nozzle guard  32  and the ink ejection surface  36   a , the absorbing member  50  of one of the two sets of rollers may be moved in the left to right direction by a predetermined moving mechanism to retract the absorbing member  50  from directly beneath the ink jet heads. 
     In addition, it is preferable for the absorbing member  50  to contain a liquid which has dissolving properties with respect to dried ink. By the absorbing member  50  containing such a liquid, it will become possible to appropriately remove ink which has seeped out from the gap  40  between the ink ejection surface  36   a  and the nozzle guard  32  and has dried. It is preferable for a liquid which is the same as a cleansing solution which is utilized by the wiping unit  30  to be described later to be employed as the liquid having dissolving properties with respect to dried ink. Further, an absorbing member  50  that contains the liquid in advance may be employed, or a tank for storing the liquid may be provided, and a configuration that immerses the absorbing member  50  in the tank while the absorbing member  50  is conveyed from the feed roller  92  to the winding roller  93  may be further provided. 
     Returning to  FIG. 2 , the wiping unit  30  is installed within the interior of the housing  21  of the shuttle unit  4  at the left end portion thereof, at the left side of the ink removing unit  29  described above.  FIG. 13  is a diagram that illustrates the internal configuration of the wiping unit  30 , which is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow Z-Z illustrated in  FIG. 2 . In addition.  FIG. 14  is a perspective view that illustrates an internal state of the wiping unit  30  in a standby state to be described later, and  FIG. 15  is a perspective view that illustrates an internal state of the wiping unit  30  when spraying a cleansing solution as will be described later. 
     The wiping unit  30  cleans the ink ejection surface  36   a  of the ink jet head  31  and the lower surface of the nozzle guard  32  by wet wiping. In the present embodiment, the wiping unit  30  corresponds to the wiping device of the present invention. 
     Specifically, the wiping unit  30  is equipped with a housing  80 , a wiping unit  81 , a rotational shaft  82 , a cleansing tank  83 , a shower unit  84 , a cleansing tank pipe  86 , and a shower unit pipe  87  as illustrated in  FIG. 13 . 
     The wiping unit  81  wipes the ink ejection surface  36   a  of the ink jet head  31  and the lower surface of the nozzle guard  32 . Specifically, the wiping unit  81  is equipped with a blade supporting member  81   a , a wiping blade  81   b , and a blade fixing member  81   c.    
     The wiping blade  81   b  is constituted by a flexible material such as rubber and is formed to have the shape of a rectangular plate. EPDM (ethylene propylene diene rubber) may be employed as the rubber, for example. 
     The blade supporting member  81   a  is formed by a metal. One end of the blade supporting member  81   a  is connected to the rotational shaft  82 , and the other end is connected to one end of the wiping blade  81   b.    
     The blade fixing member  81   c  is a member for fixing the wiping blade  81   b  to the blade supporting member  81   a , and is formed by a rectangular metal plate. Two threaded apertures  81   d  (refer to  FIG. 14 ) are formed in the blade fixing member  81   c . The wiping blade  81   b  is fixed between the blade supporting member  81   a  and the blade fixing member  81   c  by passing screws through the threaded apertures  81   d  and fitting the screws into the blade supporting member  81   a.    
     The wiping unit  81  is provided for each of the ink jet heads  31  of the head unit  26 . In the present embodiment, the four wiping units  81  are arranged in the left to right direction at the same intervals as the intervals of the four ink jet heads  31 . The wiping blade  81   b  of the wiping unit  81  has a width equal to the width of the ink jet head  31  in the left to right direction. 
     The rotational shaft  82  is a shaft member which is provided at a position along a direction in which the wiping blade  81   b  extends and extends in the left to right direction. The rotational shaft  82  is a shaft member which is rotated in the circumferential direction about the central axis thereof by a wiper driving unit  100  (refer to  FIG. 18 ). One end of each of the blade supporting members  81   a  of the aforementioned four wiping units  81  is respectively connected to and supported by the rotational shaft  82 . Then, by the rotational shaft  82  rotating, the blade supporting member  81   a  rotates about the supported one end, that is, the rotational shaft  82 , in the direction of arrow A in  FIG. 13  and a direction opposite the direction of arrow A, about the rotational shaft  82 . Thereby, the wiping blade  81   b  also rotates. 
       FIG. 13  illustrates the position of the wiping blade  81   b  in a standby state.  FIG. 16  illustrates the position of the wiping blade  81   b  during a wiping operation of the ink jet head  31 .  FIG. 17  illustrates the position of the wiping blade  81   b  during a cleansing solution spraying operation. The wiping blade  81   b  is configured to be rotatable from the position illustrated in  FIG. 13  to the position illustrated in  FIG. 17  via the position illustrated in  FIG. 16 , and conversely, rotatable from the position illustrated in  FIG. 17  to the position illustrated in  FIG. 13  via the position illustrated in  FIG. 16 . 
     The state illustrated in  FIG. 13  corresponds to a state in which the wiping blade of the present invention is immersed in the cleaning tank, and the state illustrated in  FIG. 16  corresponds to a state in which wiping is performed by bringing the other end of the wiping blade of the present invention into contact with the ink ejection surface, and the state illustrated in  FIG. 17  corresponds to a state in which the cleansing solution is sprayed by the spraying unit. The control unit  5  causes the wiping blade to transition among the state illustrated in  FIG. 13 , the state illustrated in  FIG. 16 , and the state illustrated in  FIG. 17  as described above. In addition, the rotational shaft  82  and the wiper driving unit  100  of the present embodiment correspond to the rotational driving unit of the present invention. 
     The wiping unit  30  of the present embodiment transition among the three states described above by rotating the wiping blade  81   b  about the rotational shaft  82  as described above. Therefore, the wiper unit  30  is capable of transitioning among three states with a more compact configuration, and the apparatus can be miniaturized. 
     Note that in the present embodiment, a more compact configuration is realized by rotating the wiping blade  81   b  in the manner described above. However, the configuration for transitioning among the above three states is not limited to that in which the wiping blade  81   b  is rotated by the rotational shaft  82 . Other configurations that combine horizontal movement, vertical movement and rotational movement of the wiping blade  81   b  may be adopted to transition among the three states described above. 
     The cleansing tank  83  is installed within a space in the front half of the housing  80  of the wiping unit  30 . The cleansing tank  83  is a rectangular parallelepiped container that stores the cleansing solution. The cleansing tank  83  is arranged such that the wiping blade  81   b  is immersed in the cleansing solution in the case that the wiping blade  81   b  is at the position which is illustrated in  FIG. 13  and  FIG. 14  (the position that extends obliquely toward the front side than below in the vertical direction). The cleansing tank pipe  86  is connected to the bottom of the cleansing tank  83 , and a configuration by which discharge of the cleansing solution is enabled is constituted by the cleansing tank pipe  86 . 
     In addition, although not illustrated in the drawings, a cleansing solution supply pipe for supplying new cleansing solution into the cleansing tank  83  is connected to the cleansing tank  83 . In the case that the cleansing solution which is stored in the cleansing tank  83  has decreased due to utilization or volatilization, the control unit  5  may automatically supply new cleansing solution to the cleansing tank  83  via the cleansing solution supply pipe, for example. Regarding control of the amount of the cleansing solution, for example, the amount of the cleansing which is stored in the cleansing tank  83  may be detected by a liquid amount detection unit such as an optical sensor, and the control unit  5  may control the amount of the cleansing solution based on the detection signal such that it is maintained at a desired amount. 
     The shower unit  84  is provided in a space within the rear half of the housing  80  of the wiping unit  30 . The shower unit  84  sprays the cleansing solution when the wiping blade  81   b  is at the position illustrated in  FIG. 15  and  FIG. 17  (a position that extends obliquely rearward than below in the vertical direction). The shower unit  84  is arranged such that the sprayed cleansing solution is sprayed onto the lower surface of the wiping blade  81   b . In the present embodiment, the shower unit  84  corresponds to the spraying unit of the present invention. 
     The shower unit  84  is constituted by a pipe shaped member that extends in the left to right direction, and a plurality of spray ports  84   a  are formed along the length direction of the pipe shaped member as illustrated in  FIG. 15 . The cleansing solution is supplied to the interior of the pipe shaped member of the shower unit  84  at a predetermined pressure, whereby the cleansing solution is sprayed in the form of a shower from the spray ports  84   a . The cleansing solution which is sprayed from the spray ports  84   a  is sprayed on the lower surface of the wiping blade  81   b  at the position illustrated in  FIG. 15  and  FIG. 17 , whereby the lower surface of the wiping blade  8   b  is cleansed. 
     In addition, an inclined surface  85  having a high rear side and a low front side is formed at the bottom of the rear half of the housing  80 . As a result, the cleansing solution which has been sprayed onto the wiping blade  81   b  from the shower unit  84  and then drops flows along the inclined surface  85  and reaches the center of the entire bottom of the housing  80 . The shower unit pipe  87  is connected to the center of the entirety of the bottom of the housing  80 . The cleansing solution that flows to the center via the inclined surface  85  is discharged to the exterior from the shower unit pipe  87 . 
     In addition, a plate member  88  is provided on the front side of the shower unit  84  along the outer wall surface on the rear side of the cleansing tank  83 . The plate member  88  extends above the outer wall surface on the rear side of the cleansing tank  83 , and the extending portion is formed so as to be inclined toward the shower unit  84  rather than vertically upward. As a result, the cleansing solution which is sprayed from the shower unit  84  onto the lower surface of the wiping blade  81   b  and splashes from the lower surface of the wiping blade  81   b  can be prevented from splashing into the periphery by colliding with the lower surface of the extended portion of the plate member  88 . The cleansing solution which has collided with the plate member  88  flows downward along the plate member  88  and is discharged from the shower unit pipe  87  described above, which is provided immediately under the plate member  88 . 
     Note that the cleansing pipe  86  and the shower pipe  87  are both constituted by elastic tubes, and are connected to the downstream side with a sufficient length such that they can track the movement of the wiping unit  30 . 
     In addition, four rectangular apertures  80   a  that extend in the front to back direction are formed on the upper surface of the housing  80  of the wiping unit  30 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 14 and 15 . The four apertures  80   a  are formed at positions that correspond to the four wiping blades  81   b . When the wiping blade  8   b  moves to the wiping position illustrated in  FIG. 16 , each wiping blade  81   b  passes through the aperture  80   a  that corresponds respectively thereto. The leading end portion of each wiping blade  81   b  (the end portion not connected to the blade supporting member  81   a ) is configured to protrude from the upper surface of the housing  80 , as illustrated in  FIG. 16 . 
     Next, the wiping operation which is performed by the wiping unit  30  of the present embodiment will be described. 
     First, when the shuttle unit  4  is arranged at the standby position, the wiping unit  30  stands by at a position in front of the ink jet head  31  in the state illustrated in  FIG. 13  (standby position). 
     When the head unit  26  moves above the wiping unit  30 , the ink jet heads  31  are lowered by the head elevating motor  25 , and the distance between the wiping unit  30  and each of the ink jet heads  31  gets closed to a predetermined distance. 
     Then, as illustrated in  FIG. 13 , the wiping blade  81   b  which is immersed in the cleansing solution within the cleansing tank  83  is rotated in the direction of arrow A by the wiper driving unit  100  and moved to the spraying position illustrated in  FIG. 17 . 
     Then, the cleansing solution is sprayed from the shower unit  84  toward the lower surface of the wiping blade  81   b . Thereby, fresh cleansing solution can be caused to adhere to the wiping blade  81   b . Next, the wiper blade  81   b  is rotated by the wiper driving unit  100  in the direction opposite the direction of arrow A. and moves to a state where it is erected in the vertical direction. In this state, a wiper moving unit  101  (refer to  FIG. 21 ) moves the wiping unit  30  toward the front side such that the leading end of each wiping blade  81   b  reaches the position of the front end of the ink jet head  31  corresponding thereto. The wiper moving unit  101  is constituted by a known actuator. 
     Then, the wiper moving unit  101  moves the wiping unit  30  to the wiping position, at which the leading end portion of each wiping blade  81   b  is pressed against the nozzle guard  32  and the ink ejection surface  36   a  of each ink jet head  31  and is elastically deformed, as illustrated in  FIG. 16 . 
     Then, in a state in which the leading end portion of each wiping blade  81   b  is pressed against each ink jet head, the wiping unit  30  is moved rearward by the wiper moving unit  101  (refer to  FIG. 18 ). Thereby, wiping of the lower surface of the nozzle guard  32  and the ink ejection surface  36   a  of each of the ink jet heads  31  is performed. 
     Note that although the wiping unit  30  is moved in the front to back direction in the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the head unit  26  may be moved in the front to back direction. Alternatively, both the wiping unit  30  and the head unit  26  may be moved in opposite directions in the front to back direction. 
     Then, after wiping is completed by the leading end of each of the wiping blades  81   b  reaching the back end of each of the ink jet heads  31 , the head unit  26  is moved upward by the head elevating motor  25  for a predetermined distance, and the wiping unit  30  is separated from each of the ink jet heads  31  by the predetermined distance. Note that in the present embodiment, the head unit  26  is moved up and down when performing the wiping operation. Alternatively, a configuration in which the wiping unit  30  is moved up and down to adjust the distance between the wiping blades  81   b  and the ink jet heads  31  may be adopted. 
     Then, the wiping blade  81   b  rotates to the position illustrated in  FIG. 17 , and the cleansing solution is sprayed from the shower unit  84  toward the lower surface of the wiping blade  81   b  again. As a result, contaminants which had become adhered to the lower surface of the wiping blade  81   b  due to the wiping operation described above can be washed away. 
     Next, after the wiping blade  81   b  is washed by the shower unit  84 , the wiping blade  81   b  rotates in the opposite direction and moves to the position illustrated in  FIG. 13  again. The above is the series of steps of the wiping operation which is performed by the wiping unit  30  of the present embodiment. 
     According to the wiping unit  30  of the present embodiment, first, the cleansing solution is sprayed onto the wiping blade  81   b  from the shower unit  84  before wiping is performed. Therefore, wiping can be performed by the wiping blade  81   b  which has been cleansed with fresh uncontaminated cleansing solution. 
     After wiping is performed as well, the cleansing solution is sprayed onto the wiping blade  81   b  from the shower unit  84 . Therefore, contaminants which became adhered to the wiping blade  8   b  due to wiping can be appropriately removed. In addition, the wiping blade  81   b  can be immersed in the cleansing tank  83  in a clean state by the spraying of the cleansing solution after wiping. Therefore, contamination of the cleansing solution within the cleansing tank  83  can be prevented. 
     That is, the wiping unit  30  of the present embodiment is capable of wiping the ink jet head  31  with the wiping blade  81   b  which is always wetted with an uncontaminated cleansing solution. 
     Note that in the present embodiment, the cleansing solution is sprayed by the shower unit  84  before and after the wiping of the ink jet head  31  as described above. The pressure when spraying before wiping and the pressure when spraying after wiping may be changed. For example, the spraying pressure after wiping is preferably relatively high because it is necessary to remove contaminants which have become adhered to the wiping blade  81   b  due to wiping. Then, consumption of the cleansing solution can be suppressed by setting the spraying pressure before wiping relatively low. 
     A liquid that dissolves adhered substances (including ink components and flakes and powder on the surface of the print medium) which are adhered to the ink ejection surface  36   a  and the surface of the nozzle guard  32  is employed as the cleansing solution. It is preferable for an aqueous solvent containing water and a surfactant to be employed as the cleansing solution. Examples of the surfactant include anionic surfactants such as sodium fatty acid, sodium alkylbenzenesulfonate, sodium alkylsulfonate, sodium α-olefin sulfonate, sodium alkylsulfate, sodium alkyl ether sulfate, sodium α-sulfo fatty acid ester, sodium alkylphosphate ester; cationic surfactants such as alkyltrimethylammonium and dialkyldimethylammonium; nonionic surfactants such as sorbitan fatty acid ester, polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid ester, sucrose fatty acid ester, polyoxyethylene alkyl ether, polyoxyethylene alkyl phenyl ether, and amphoteric surfactants such as alkyl amino fatty acid sodium, alkyl betaine, and alkylamine oxide. Further, polymeric surfactants, silicone surfactants, fluorine surfactants, acetylene glycol surfactants, etc. may be employed. Among these, it is preferable for polyoxyethylene alkyl ether to be employed, and it is more preferable for the HLB value thereof to be 11 to 17, the number of carbon atoms of the alkyl group to be within a range from 8 to 15, and the number of moles of ethylene oxide added to be within a range from 6 to 25. 
     Further, it is preferable for the cleansing liquid to further contain a thickener. A water soluble polymeric thickener or a clay mineral based thickener may be employed as the thickener. Natural polymers, semisynthetic polymers, synthetic polymers may be employed as the water soluble polymeric thickener. Examples of natural polymers include natural plant polymers such as gum arabic, carrageenan, guar gum, locust bean gum, pectin, tragacanth gum, cornstarch, konjak mannan, agar; natural microbial polymers such as pullulan, xanthan gum and dextrin; and natural animal polymers such as gelatin, casein, glue. Examples of semisynthetic polymers include cellulose semisynthetic polymers such as ethylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, methylcellulose, and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose; starch series polymers such as hydroxyethylstarch, carboxymethylstarch sodium, and cyclodextrin; alginic acid based semisynthetic polymers such as sodium alginate and propylene glycol alginate; and sodium hyaluronate. Examples of synthetic polymers include vinyl synthetic polymers such as polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl methyl ether, poly N-vinyl acetamide, and polyacrylamide; polyethylene oxide, polyethylene imine, and polyurethane. Examples of the clay mineral based thickener include smectite clay minerals such as montmorillonite, hectorite, and saponite. Among these, it is preferable for hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose to be employed. 
     In addition to the above components, the cleansing liquid may optionally contain a water soluble organic solvent, a pH adjusting agent, an antioxidant, a preservative, etc., as appropriate. It is preferable for the viscosity of the cleansing solution to be within a range from 5 to 200 mPa-s at 23° C., and more preferably a range from 10 to 100 mPa s. 
     Note that the cleansing solution which is stored in the cleansing tank  83  and the cleansing solution which is sprayed from the shower unit  84  do not necessarily have to be the same. For example, the cleansing solution which is stored in the cleansing tank  83  is preferably a cleansing solution having a lower volatility than the cleansing solution which is sprayed from the shower unit  84 . This can prevent the cleansing solution which is stored in the cleansing tank  83  from being volatilized and reduced. A cleansing solution that contains an acetylene glycol series surfactant, a moisturizing agent such as glycerin, a water soluble solvent, and water may be employed as such a cleaning solution, either alone or in combination. 
     In addition, it is preferable for the cleansing solution which is sprayed from the shower unit  84  to be a cleansing solution which has a higher cleansing ability than the cleansing solution which is stored in the cleansing tank  83 . Because the wiping blade  81   b  is immersed in the cleansing tank  83  for a certain period of time, the wiping blade  81   b  can be sufficiently cleaned even if the cleaning solution within the cleansing tank  83  does not have such a high cleansing ability. However, the cleansing solution which is employed by the shower unit  84  is sprayed onto the wiping blade  81   b , and it does not remain on the surface of the wiping blade  81   b  for along time. Therefore, by employing a cleansing solution which has a high cleansing ability as the cleansing solution employed by the shower unit  84 , it is possible to sufficiently perform cleansing only by spraying the wiping blade  81   b . A cleansing solution that contains an acetylene glycol series surfactant, a moisturizing agent such as glycerin, a water soluble solvent, and water may be employed as such a cleansing solution, either alone or in combination. 
     Note that although only one shower unit  84  is provided in the present embodiment, two shower units  84  may be provided such that they face both surfaces of the wiping blade  81   b , for example, and the cleansing solution may be sprayed on both surfaces of the wiping blade  81   b.    
     Further, in the present embodiment, the cleansing solution is sprayed by the shower unit  84  before and after the wiping of the ink jet head  31  as described above. However, the time required for a series of wiping operations becomes long in this case, and it takes time before a printing operation can be initiated. 
     Therefore, the cleansing solution may not be sprayed by the shower unit  84  before wiping the ink jet head  31 , and the cleansing solution may be sprayed by the shower unit  84  only after wiping. Adopting such a configuration can improve productivity. 
     In addition, the cleansing solution is sprayed by the shower unit  84  after the wiping of the ink jet head  31  to remove the ink that flows down from the ink jet head  31  and adheres to the wiping blade  81   b  due to the wiping in the present embodiment. There are some cases in which the ink which is adhered to the wiping blade  81   b  cannot be removed only by the cleansing solution spraying operation. 
     Further, when spraying the cleansing solution from the shower unit  84  toward the wiping blade  81   b , if the cleansing solution is sprayed in a spreading manner, there is a possibility that the contaminated solution following cleansing may be scattered to the periphery. Therefore, it is preferable for the range in which the cleansing solution spreads to be limited. However, in the case that the cleansing solution is sprayed in such a narrow range, the range in which the cleansing solution is sprayed onto the wiping blade  81   b  will become narrow. Therefore, if ink is adhered outside such a range, it cannot be removed. 
     In the case that the ink which is adhered to the wiping blade  8   b  cannot be removed as described above, the wiping blade  81   b  in a contaminated state will be immersed in the cleansing tank  83 , and the cleansing solution within the cleansing tank  83  will be contaminated with the ink. Particularly in the case that ink remains on the plurality of wiping blades  81   b , inks of different colors will be mixed in the cleansing solution. 
     In the case that the wiping blade  81   b  is immersed in the cleansing tank  83  which is contaminated by ink in this manner, the wiping blade  8   b  to which the contaminated cleansing solution adheres comes into contact with the ink jet head  31  during wiping. As a result, the ink jet head.  31  is not wiped, but contaminated. Particularly in the case that the cleansing solution spraying operation by the shower unit  84  prior to wiping is omitted as described above, the contamination becomes significant. 
     Therefore, in order to more reliably remove the ink which became adhered to the wiping blade  81   b  due to wiping, the control unit  5  may control the wiper driving unit  100  during the operation of spraying the cleansing solution onto the wiping blade  81   b  after the wiping is performed to cause the wiping blade  81   b  to reciprocally rotate. Note that reciprocal rotation means rotating in a forward direction and a reverse direction. For example, the direction of arrow A illustrated in  FIG. 13  may be designated as the forward direction.  FIG. 18  is a diagram that illustrates the manner in which the wiping blade  81   b  is reciprocally rotated as described above. In the example illustrated in  FIG. 18 , the wiping blade  81   b  is rotated in the forward and reverse directions within the range of arrow B, with the position of the wiping blade  81   b  indicated by the solid line as the center. The wiping blade  81   b  periodically and reciprocally rotates a plurality of times within the range of arrow B. 
     By reciprocally rotating the wiping blade  81   b  in this manner, the ink which has adhered to the wiping blade  81   b  can be caused to drop in a short amount of time by utilizing centrifugal force. In addition, since the range in which the cleansing solution is sprayed by the shower unit  84  can be widened by the reciprocal rotation of the wiping blade  81   b , the range of cleansing on the wiping blade  81   b  can be widened. Particularly, the wiping blade  81   b  of the present embodiment is connected to the blade supporting member  81   a  by the blade fixing member  81   c , but ink which is adhered to the blade fixing member  81   c  may remain. By expanding the range of cleansing as described above, it is possible to remove even the ink which is adhered to the blade fixing member  81   c.    
     As a result, the ink which is adhered to the wiping blade  81   b  can be removed more positively, and therefore the cleansing solution within the cleansing tank  83  can always be kept in an uncontaminated state. 
     Note that in the case that the wiping blade  8   b  is reciprocally rotated as described above, it is preferable to reciprocally rotate the wiping blade  81   b  below a horizontal plane that contains the rotational shaft  82 , as illustrated in  FIG. 18 . By adopting such a configuration, the weight of the ink itself which is adhered to the wiping blade  81   b  can be utilized together with centrifugal force. Therefore, the ink can be caused to drop more efficiently. 
     As a range in which the wiping blade  81   b  is reciprocally rotated, it is preferable for a position at which the wiping blade  81   b  is moved to its lowest position (the position of the lower dotted line illustrated in  FIG. 18 ) to be designated as a position inclined by 15° with respect to the vertical downward direction, and a position at which the wiping blade  81   b  is moved to its uppermost position (the position of the upper dotted line illustrated in  FIG. 18 ) to be designated as a position inclined by 45° with respect to the vertically downward direction, for example. In this case, the range in which the wiping blade  81   b  is reciprocally rotated, that is, the range of arrow B, is 30°. 
     In addition, in the case that the wiping blade  8   b  is reciprocally rotated as described above, it is preferable to continue the reciprocal rotation even after the cleansing solution is sprayed by the shower unit  84 . Adopting such a configuration makes it possible for the ink which is adhered to the wiping blade  81   b  to be caused to drop more positively. 
     Further, in the case that the wiping blade  81   b  is reciprocally rotated after the cleansing solution is sprayed by the shower unit  84  as described above, it is preferable for the range of reciprocal rotation following the spraying of the cleansing solution to be wider than the range of reciprocal rotation during the spraying of the cleansing solution. Adopting such a configuration makes it possible for ink that remains on the wiping blade  81   b  after the spraying of the cleansing solution to be caused to drop more positively. 
     Still further, it is preferable for the rotational speed when the wiping blade  81   b  is reciprocally rotated to be higher than the rotational speed during the series of wiping operations described above. Thereby, more centrifugal force can be applied to the wiping blade  81   b.    
     In addition, in the present embodiment, the blade fixing member  81   c  is employed to connect the wiping blade  81   b  to the blade supporting member  81   a  as described above. There are cases in which ink and a contaminated cleansing solution enters a gap between the blade fixing member  81   c  and the wiping blade  81   b  and cannot be removed merely by the spraying of the cleansing solution by the shower unit  84 . Ink which has entered the gap between the blade fixing member  81   c  and the wiping blade  81   b  flows out into the cleansing solution when the wiping blade  81   b  is immersed in the cleansing tank  83 , and contaminates the cleansing solution. 
     Therefore, in order to remove the ink or the like which has entered the gap described above, a penetrating aperture  81   e  which is different from the threaded aperture  81   d  may be formed in the blade fixing member  81   c  as illustrated in  FIG. 19 , for example. By forming the penetrating aperture  81   e  in the blade fixing member  81   c  in this manner, the cleansing solution which is sprayed by the shower unit  84  can be caused to flow into the gap between the blade fixing member  81   c  and the wiping blade  81   b  through the penetrating aperture  81   e . Thereby, the ink or the like which has entered the gap can be caused to flow out onto the wiping blade  81   b  and removed. 
     In addition, the configuration in which the ink or the like which has entered the gap between the blade fixing member  81   c  and the wiping blade  8   b  is caused to flow out onto the wiping blade  8   b  is not limited to the penetrating aperture  81   e  described above. A groove G that extends in the longitudinal direction of the wiping blade  81   b  may be formed on the surface of the side that contacts the wiping blade  81   b  as illustrated in  FIG. 20 , for example. The groove G is formed from the upper end surface to the lower end surface of the blade fixing member  81   c . By forming the groove G in this manner, the cleansing solution which is sprayed by the shower unit  84  can be caused to flow into the groove G, whereby ink or the like which has entered the gap between the blade fixing member  81   c  and the wiping blade  81   b  can be caused to flow out onto the wiping blade  81   b . Note that the groove G may be formed not only the blade fixing member  81   c  but a groove may be formed in the wiping blade  81   b  at a position that faces the groove G. 
       FIG. 21  is a block diagram that illustrates a control system of the ink jet printing apparatus  1  of the present embodiment. The ink jet printing apparatus  1  is equipped with the control unit  5  that controls the entire apparatus. The control unit  5  is equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, etc. The control unit  5  executes a program which is stored in advance in a storage medium such as a semiconductor memory or a hard disk, and operates an electric circuit to control each of the components illustrated in  FIG. 21 . 
     Next, a printing operation which is performed by the ink jet printing apparatus  1  of the present embodiment will be described. 
     When the ink jet printing apparatus  1  is in a standby state prior to a printing operation being initiated, the shuttle unit  4  is arranged at the standby position. The standby position of the shuttle unit  4  is the position of the shuttle unit  4  which is denoted by the solid line in  FIG. 1 , and is at the rear end of the gantry unit  11  of the shuttle base unit  2 . 
     When a print job is input, the control unit  5  controls the sub scanning drive motor  12  to move the shuttle unit  4  from the standby position to a print process start position. The print process start position of the shuttle unit  4  is the position of the shuttle unit  4  denoted by the two dot chain line in  FIG. 1 , and is at the front end portion of the gantry unit  11  of the shuttle base unit  2 . Note that a print medium  15  is placed on the medium placement surface  3   a  of the flat bed unit  3  prior to the input of the print job. 
     Next, while moving the head unit  26  in the main scanning direction by controlling the main scanning drive motor  23 , the control unit  5  controls the ink jet heads  31  based on the input print job to control the ink ejection outlets  37  such that printing for one pass is performed. Next, the control unit  5  controls the sub scanning drive motor  12  to move the shuttle unit  4  backward to the printing position for a next pass. The control unit  5  forms an image on the print medium  15  by alternately repeating the printing for one pass and the movement of the shuttle unit  4 . 
     When printing of one sheet is completed, the control unit  5  controls the sub scanning drive motor  12  to return the shuttle unit  4  to the standby position. Then, the printing operation is completed. 
     Here, in the present embodiment, the absorbing member  50  that absorbs ink is pressed against the opening  46  of the nozzle guard  32  and the ink ejection surface  36   a  of the ink jet head  31  as a method of removing ink which has entered the gap  40  between the ink ejection surface  36   a  of the ink jet head  31  and the nozzle guard  32 . 
     Even if the ink within the gap  40  can be removed by pressing the absorbing member  50  in this manner to an extent that there is no problem in ink ejection, components such as resin contained in the ink remain on the ink ejection surface (nozzle plate). As a result, the water repelling properties of the ink ejection surface may deteriorate. 
     In addition, although it is possible to remove the ink within the gap  40  by pressing the absorbing member  50 , it has been found that the ink ejection surface  36   a  becomes likely to dry if only this process is administered. 
     As a result, due to the deterioration in the water repelling properties of the ink ejection surface described above, foreign matter such as ink mist and paper dust become likely to adhere to the ink ejection surface  36   a . The foreign matter becomes fixed onto the ink ejection surface  36   a  due to drying, and ink ejection failure occurs. In addition, due to the reduced water repelling properties of the ink ejection surface  36   a , ejection failures such as deviances in the ejection direction of the ink and non-ejection occur. 
     Therefore, in the ink jet printing apparatus  1  according to the present embodiment, in addition to removing the ink within the gap  40  between the nozzle guard  32  and the ink ejection surface  36   a , a cleaning operation that prevents deterioration in the water repelling properties and drying of the ink ejection surface  36   a  is performed 
     Hereinafter, the cleaning operation of the ink jet printing apparatus  1  according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to  FIG. 22A ˜ 22 C and  FIG. 23A ˜ 23 B. The cleaning operation of the present embodiment is an operation that removes the ink which has entered the gap  40  between the nozzle guard  32  and the ink ejection surface  36   a , forms a meniscus is formed at the ink ejection outlet  37  of each nozzle, and further prevents the water repelling properties of the nozzle plate  36  from deteriorating and the nozzles from drying. 
     The cleaning operation is performed when the shuttle unit  4  is arranged at the standby position. At this time, the head unit  26  in the shuttle unit  4  is located at the standby position which is illustrated in  FIG. 2 . 
     First, as illustrated in  FIG. 22A , the supply pump  55  is controlled by the control unit  5  in a state in which the ink jet head  31  is arranged above the capping unit  66 , and ink is ejected at a predetermined pressure to perform a purging operation. With respect to the purging operation, the amount of ink which was purged through each of the nozzles is set to approximately 4.8 mg/sec, for example. 
     During this purging operation, the opening  46  of the nozzle guard  32  of the ink jet head  31  may be hermetically sealed by the cap  71  of the capping unit  66 , or may be opened as illustrated in  FIG. 22A . However, it is preferable for the opening  46  of the nozzle guard  32  to be hermetically sealed by the cap  71 . By hermetically sealing the opening  46  of the nozzle guard  32  in this manner, entry of debris such as dust into the cap  71  or contamination of the periphery of the cap  71  by ink can be prevented. 
     The ink which is ejected from the ink jet head  31  by the purging operation described above is received in the capping unit  66 , and is suctioned and collected from the capping unit  66  by the control unit  5  controlling the suction pump  69 . By this purging operation, the ink ejection outlets  37  of the ink jet head  31  become in a state in which ink droplets D are attached thereto, as illustrated in  FIG. 22A . 
     Next, the control unit  5  stands by in the state illustrated in  FIG. 22B  until the pressure applied by the supply pump  55  weakens and the amount of ink which is ejected from the nozzles is stabilized. Specifically, it is preferable for the amount of standby time to be within a range from 20 to 30 seconds in the case that the purging operation is conducted for three seconds at a pressure that causes each of the nozzles to eject 4.8 mg/sec of ink. Note that in this standby state, the opening  46  of the nozzle guard  32  of the ink jet head  31  may be hermetically sealed by the cap  71  of the capping unit  66 , or may be opened as illustrated in  FIG. 22B . In addition, the amount of standby time may be changed according to the pressure of the supply pump  55  during the purging operation. 
     By providing the standby time in this manner, contamination of the interior of the ink jet printing apparatus  1  by the ink which is adhered to the ink ejection outlet  37  of the ink jet head  31  dropping due to the purging operation when the head unit  26  is moved thereafter, for example, can be prevented. In addition, by changing the amount of standby time according to the pressure of the supply pump  55  during the purging operation as described above, it becomes possible to wait until the pressure of the supply pump  55  positively weakens. 
     Next, after the standby time described above has elapsed, the ink jet head  31  (head unit  26 ) is moved and arranged above the pressing base  91  of the ink removing unit  29 . Then, the ink removing unit  29  performs the ink removing operation described above. By this ink removing operation, the ink which has entered the gap  40  between the nozzle guard  32  and the ink ejection surface  36   a  can be removed, and a meniscus can be formed at the ink ejection outlet  37  of each nozzle. The formation of these meniscuses enables favorable ink ejection. 
     Then, after the ink removing operation is completed, the ink jet head  31  (head unit  26 ) is moved and is arranged above the wiping unit  30  as illustrated in  FIG. 23A . Then, the wiping operation is performed by the wiping unit  30 . As a result, it is possible to remove the contaminants which are adhered to the bottom surface of the nozzle guard  32  of the ink jet head  31  and the ink ejection surface  36   a . Further, by performing the wiping operation with the cleansing solution, components such as resin (components that reduce water repelling properties) which are contained in the ink which is adhered to the ink ejection surface  36   a  can be removed, such that the water repelling properties of the ink ejection surface  36   a  can be restored. Further, it is possible to prevent the nozzle from being dried by wet wiping with the cleansing solution. 
     Then, after the wiping operation is completed, the ink jet head  31  (head unit  26 ) is moved and is arranged above the capping unit  66 . Next, the capping unit  66  rises, comes into contact with the ink jet head  31 , and the opening  46  of the nozzle guard  32  of the ink jet head  31  becomes in a hermetically sealed state, as illustrated in  FIG. 23B . The above is the description of the cleaning operation of the present embodiment. 
     According to the cleaning operation of the ink jet printing apparatus  1  of the present embodiment, the ink is ejected from the ink jet head  31  at a predetermined pressure to perform the purging operation, the ink removing operation is performed, and then the wiping operation is performed. Therefore, the ink within the gap  40  between the nozzle guard  32  and the ink ejection surface  36   a  can be removed, the water repelling properties of the ink ejection surface  36   a  can be prevented from deteriorating and drying of the ink ejection surface  36   a  can also be prevented. 
     In the case that a printing process is performed after the cleaning operation described above, the capping unit  66  moves down, the head elevating motor  25  moves the head unit  26  up to a predetermined position, and then moves in the left to right direction along the main scanning drive guide  22 , to perform the printing process. 
     Note that the control unit  5  may control the supply pump  55  as necessary to perform a spitting step in which a minute amount of ink is ejected from the ink jet head  31  following the cleaning operation described above and prior to performing the printing process. The spitting process is an operation that ejects a minute amount of ink ejecting from the ink jet head  31 , and the ink may be ejected 1000 times per second by operating the ink jet head  31  at 5 kHz, for example. In addition, it is preferable for this spitting process to be performed in a state where the opening  46  of the nozzle guard  32  of the ink jet head  31  is hermetically sealed by the capping unit  66 , as illustrated in  FIG. 23B . 
     In addition, the cleaning operation may be performed automatically immediately prior to the printing process being initiated, or may be performed in response to an instruction input by a user. Further, the cleaning operation may be performed after every preset period or after every preset number of printed sheets. 
     Further, in the cleaning operation of the embodiment described above, the ink removing operation is performed after the purging operation is performed. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. The purging operation and the ink removing operation may overlap each other to a certain degree. 
     Still further, in the cleaning operation of the embodiment described above, the wiping operation is performed by the wiping unit  30  after the ink removing operation is performed by the ink removing unit  29 . However, in the case that a print job is that which performs a printing process for a large number of sheets, and the cleaning operation is performed during the printing process, only the wiping operation by the wiping unit  30  may be performed without performing the ink removing operation. 
     In addition, in the ink jet printing apparatus  1  of the embodiment described above, a wiping unit  30  equipped with the shower unit  84  is employed. However, the wiping unit is not limited to that having such a configuration, and a wiping unit of a configuration in which wiping is performed only by a wiping blade which is immersed in the cleansing tank, and spraying of the cleansing solution by the shower unit  84  is not performed may be employed. 
     Here, the ink removing operation described above is an operation that removes the ink that has entered the gap  40  between the nozzle guard  32  and the ink ejection surface  36   a , and forms a meniscus at the ink ejection outlet  37  of each of the nozzles. 
     In the ink removing operation, it is desirable for the absorbency and the surface roughness of the absorbing member  50  as well as the pressing pressure and the amount of time that the absorbing member  50  is pressed against the ink jet head  31  by the pressing base  91  to be set appropriately, in order to favorably remove the ink within the gap  40  and to maintain the meniscus formed at each of the nozzles. 
     Specifically, in the case that the absorbency of the absorbing member  50  is low, it is not possible to appropriately remove the ink within the gap  40  of the nozzle guard  32 . Further, in the case that the fibers on the surface of the absorbing member  50  are fluffed, there may be cases in which the fibers enter the ink discharge outlets  37  when the absorbing member  50  is pressed against the ink jet head  31  and break the meniscuses therein. 
     In addition, the greater the pressing pressure, the ink within the gap  40  of the nozzle guard  32  can be pressed outward to the exterior of the gap  40  and can be easily absorbed by the absorbing member  50 . However, if the pressing pressure is excessively large, there may be cases in which the absorbing member  50  is pressed excessively strongly against the ink ejection outlets  37  and the meniscuses therein are broken, resulting in ink ejection failure. 
     Further, there may be cases in which the ink that seeps out from the gap  40  of the nozzle guard  32  due to the pressing of the absorbing member  50  reaches the ink ejection outlet  37  before being absorbed by the absorbing member  50  and blocks the ink ejection outlet  37 , resulting in ink ejection failure.  FIG. 24  is a diagram that illustrates an example of the state of the ink In that seeps out from the gap  40  of the nozzle guard  32  by the pressing of the absorbing member  50 . 
     Still further, in the case that the pressing time is excessively short, it is not possible to sufficiently absorb the ink that seeps out from the gap  40 . In the case that the pressing time is excessively long, there may be cases in which the meniscuses which are formed in the ink ejection outlets  37  will be broken. 
     Taking these factors into consideration, it is preferable for an absorbing member having an absorbency of 10 mm/5 min or greater and 80 mm/5 min or less and a surface roughness Rz of 410 μm or less to be employed as the absorbing member  50 . 
     In addition, it is preferable for the absorbing member  50  to be pressed against the ink jet head  31  with a pressing pressure of 10 kPa or greater and 80 kPa or less for an amount of time 7 seconds or greater and 60 seconds or less. 
     Note that the bases for setting the absorbency and the surface roughness Rz of the absorbing member  50  as well as the numerical values of the pressing pressure and the pressing time of the absorbing member  50  described above will be shown by Examples and Comparative Examples, which will be described later. By setting the absorbency and surface roughness Rz of the absorbing member  50  as well as the pressing pressure and pressing time of the absorbing member  50  to those described above, meniscuses can be formed more appropriately, and favorable ink ejection can be performed. 
     Further, it is preferable for the absorbing member  50  to be formed by fibers which are thicker than the diameter of the nozzles in order to prevent the fibers of the absorbing member  50  from breaking the meniscuses which are formed in the ink discharge ports  37  as described above. By adopting such a configuration, it will become possible to prevent the meniscuses from being broken due to the fibers of the absorbing member  50  entering the ink ejection outlets  37 . 
     The thicknesses of the fibers of the absorbing member  50  are measured by observing the upper surface of the absorbing member  50  with an optical microscope “AZ-100M” by NIKON, and measuring the distance between two points with a measuring tool. Specifically, fibers that protrude from the upper surface of the compressed and flattened absorbing member  50  are designated as targets of measurement, two points that yield the largest diameter are specified, and the distance therebetween is measured. Then, the average value of the measurement results of ten fibers is designated as the thickness of the fibers of the absorbing member  50  as referred to here. 
     In addition, it is preferable for the lengths of the fiber on the surface of the absorbing member  50  to be shorter than the distance from the ink ejection surface  36   a  of the nozzles to the surface  32   a  of the nozzle guard (the surface that faces the ink ejection surface  36   a ; refer to  FIG. 4 ). By adopting such a configuration, it will become possible to prevent the fibers of the absorbing member  50  from entering the ink ejection outlets  37 , and it will become possible to prevent the meniscuses which are formed at the ink ejection outlets  37  from being broken. 
     The lengths of the fiber on the surface of the absorbing member  50  are measured by observing the side end face of the absorbing member  50  with an optical microscope “AZ-100M” by NIKON, and measuring the distance between two points with a measuring tool. Specifically, fibers that protrude from the upper surface of the compressed and flattened absorbing member  50  are designated as targets of measurement, the two ends of protruding portions of the fibers are specified, and the distance therebetween is measured. The average value of the measurement results of ten fibers is designated as the length of the fibers on the surface of the absorbing member  50  as referred to here. 
     In addition, it is preferable for the intervals of the fibers on the surface of the absorbing member  50  to be wider than the arrangement pitch of the nozzles (the intervals among adjacent nozzles). By adopting such a configuration, it will become possible to prevent the fibers of the absorbing member  50  from entering the ink ejection outlets  37 , and it will become possible to suppress breakage of the meniscuses which are formed in each of the ink ejection outlets  37 . 
     The intervals among the fibers on the surface of the absorbing member  50  are measured by observing the upper surface of the absorbing member  50  with an optical microscope “AZ-100M” manufactured by NIKON, and by measuring the distance between two points with a measuring tool. Specifically, compressed and flattened fibers that protrude from the upper surface of the absorbing member  50  are designated as targets of measurement. The distances between pairs of adjacent fibers are measured. Then, the average value of the measurement results of ten pairs of fibers is designated as the intervals among the fibers on the surface of the absorbing member  50  referred to here. 
     Example 1 
     The absorbency and surface roughness Rz of the absorbing member  50  as well as the pressing pressure and pressing time of the absorbing member  50  described above will be described below with reference to Examples and Comparative Examples. 
     First, methods for measuring the absorbency, the surface roughness Rz, the pressing pressure and the pressing time of the absorbing member  50  will be described. 
     With respect to the absorbency, the target of measurement was not water but ink. The absorbency with respect to ink was measured by a method in accordance with the absorption test based on the Birec method of JIS L 1907. Test pieces were 1 cm wide×20 cm long, an initial immersion length was 3 cm, and the immersion time was 5 min. 
     The surface roughness Rz is a measured value of the maximum height roughness of ISO 25178 surface properties (measurement of surface roughness). A color 3D laser microscope “VK-8700” by KEYENCE was employed as a measuring instrument. 
     The pressing pressure was measured by fixing a push pull gauge (FGX-50R by Nidec Shimpo) at the same height as the mounting position of the ink jet head, placing the absorbing member on the pressing base, and pressing the absorbing member against the ink jet head. The amount of time for which the absorbing member is pressed against the ink jet head was designated as an amount of time from a point in time when the pressing pressure reached the values shown in Table 1 through Table 4 below to a point in time when the pressing was ceased. 
     Next, the evaluation method for each of the conditions will be described. Regarding evaluations, whether ink within the gap  40  of the nozzle guard  32  was removed (removal of gap ink), and whether ink was normally ejected from each nozzle (nozzle check) were evaluated. 
     First, prior to conducting the evaluations, a purging operation was performed after the ink jet printing apparatus was used for a certain period of time. Next, the wiping operation described above was performed, and a nozzle check pattern which was set in advance was printed on a printing medium  15 . Then, by visually checking the printing results, it was confirmed that ink was normally ejected from all of the nozzles. With respect to the purging operation, the amount of ink which was purged through each of the nozzles was set to approximately 4.8 mg/sec. 
     Next, as an evaluation procedure, the various absorption members  50  shown in Table 1 through Table 4 below were placed on the pressing base  100 , and the ink removing unit  29  was controlled to conduct pressing operations at the pressing pressures and the amounts of pressing time shown in Table 1 through Table 4 below, to perform the ink removing operation described above. 
     With respect to the removal of gap ink, the bottom plate  41  of the nozzle guard  32  (refer to  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 ) was pressed with a cotton swab after the pressing operation, and evaluations were conducted by visually confirming whether ink seeps out from the gap  40 . In Table 1 through Table 4, cases in which no ink seepage was observed were evaluated as “A”, cases in which slight seepage of ink was observed were evaluated as “B”, and cases in which there was a certain amount of ink seepage were was evaluated as “C”. It is preferable for the state of removal of gap ink to be at levels “A” and “B”. 
     With respect to the nozzle check, a nozzle check pattern was printed after the pressing operation described above, and it was visually confirmed whether there were any nozzles from which ink was not normally ejected (ejection dropout). Note that a nozzle from which ink is not normally ejected is a nozzle in which breakage of a meniscus causes ejection failure. The number of nozzles that exhibit ejection dropout was counted per each single ink jet head  31 . In Table 1 through Table 4 below, cases in which the number of nozzles that exhibited ejection dropout was 0 or greater and 3 or less were evaluated as “A”, cases in which the number of nozzles that exhibited ejection dropout was 4 or greater and 9 or less were evaluated as “B”, and cases in which the number of nozzles that exhibited ejection dropout was 10 or greater were evaluated as “C”. Note that the number of nozzles in one ink jet head  31  is 508. It is preferable for ejection dropout to be at levels “A” and “B”. 
     Next, specific Examples will be described. Table 1 shows the results of evaluations of ink removal from gaps and ejection dropout when the pressing operation described above was performed with Examples 1 to 11 shown in Table 1 that employed various absorbing members  50  having different absorbencies and surface roughnesses Rz at the pressing pressures and amounts of pressing time shown in Table 1. Here, all of the pressing pressures were set to 30 kPa, and all of the amounts of pressing time were set to 10 seconds. 
     From the evaluation results shown in Table 1, it was found that it is preferable for the absorbency of the absorbing member  50  to be within a range of 10 mm/5 min or greater and 80 mm/5 min or less. In addition, it was found that it is preferable for the surface roughness Rz of the absorbing member  50  to be within a range of 410 μm or less. 
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
                   
                 TABLE 1 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Surface 
                   
                 Pressing 
                 Pressing 
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Roughness 
                 Absorbency 
                 Pressure 
                 Time 
                 Gap Ink 
                 Nozzle 
               
               
                   
                 Absorbing Member 
                 Material 
                 Rz(μm) 
                 (mm/5 min) 
                 (kPa) 
                 (seconds) 
                 Removal 
                 Check 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 Example 1 
                 ASPURE Wiper (TM) 
                 Polyester 
                 322.99 
                 70 
                 30 
                 10 
                 A 
                 A 
               
               
                 Example 2 
                 Sponge Cloth 
                 Cellulose 70% 
                 322.31 
                 80 
                 30 
                 10 
                 A 
                 A 
               
               
                   
                   
                 Cotton 30% 
               
               
                 Example 3 
                 Printing Paper Arabel 
                 Cellulose 
                 119.52 
                 10 
                 30 
                 10 
                 A 
                 B 
               
               
                   
                 (TM) 
               
               
                 Example 4 
                 Water Color Paper 
                 Cellulose 
                 173.43 
                 20 
                 30 
                 10 
                 A 
                 A 
               
               
                 Example 5 
                 Sofras (TM) 
                 Polyurethane 
                 140.63 
                 70 
                 30 
                 10 
                 A 
                 A 
               
               
                 Example 6 
                 Acoustic Mute Board 
                 Polyester 
                 340.6 
                 80 
                 30 
                 10 
                 A 
                 A 
               
               
                   
                 (AMB) 
               
               
                 Example 7 
                 Cloth 
                 Rayon 80% 
                 322.73 
                 70 
                 30 
                 10 
                 A 
                 A 
               
               
                   
                   
                 Polyester 20% 
               
               
                 Example 8 
                 Felt 1 
                 Wool 60% 
                 358.88 
                 70 
                 30 
                 10 
                 A 
                 A 
               
               
                   
                   
                 Rayon 40% 
               
               
                 Example 9 
                 Felt 2 
                 Wool 60% 
                 414.78 
                 70 
                 30 
                 10 
                 A 
                 C 
               
               
                   
                   
                 Rayon 40% 
               
               
                 Example 10 
                 Printing Paper Van 
                 Cellulose 
                 169.21 
                 5 
                 30 
                 10 
                 C 
                 C 
               
               
                   
                 Nouveau (TM) 
               
               
                 Example 11 
                 Office Paper PW 
                 Cellulose 
                 189.87 
                 5 
                 30 
                 10 
                 C 
                 C 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     Next, Table 2 shows the results of evaluation by changing the pressing pressure employing the absorbing member  50  (printing paper Arabel (registered trademark)) of Example 3, which has an absorbency at the lower limit value. All of the amounts of pressing time were set to 10 seconds. 
     From the evaluation results shown in Table 2, it was found that it is preferable for the pressing pressure to be 10 kPa or greater and 80 kPa or less. Note that it is considered that the pressing pressure was excessively low for Example 17, and therefore removal of gap ink was evaluated as “C”. It is also considered that the pressing pressure was excessively high for Example 18, and therefore meniscuses were broken and nozzle check was evaluated as “C”. 
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
                   
                 TABLE 2 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Surface 
                   
                 Pressing 
                 Pressing 
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Roughness 
                 Absorbency 
                 Pressure 
                 Time 
                 Gap Ink 
                 Nozzle 
               
               
                   
                 Absorbing Member 
                 Material 
                 Rz (μm) 
                 (mm/5 min) 
                 (kPa) 
                 (seconds) 
                 Removal 
                 Check 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 Example 12 
                 Printing Paper Arabel 
                 Cellulose 
                 119.52 
                 10 
                 10 
                 10 
                 B 
                 A 
               
               
                   
                 (TM) 
               
               
                 Example 13 
                 Printing Paper Arabel 
                 Cellulose 
                 119.52 
                 10 
                 15 
                 10 
                 A 
                 A 
               
               
                   
                 (TM) 
               
               
                 Example 14 
                 Printing Paper Arabel 
                 Cellulose 
                 119.52 
                 10 
                 30 
                 10 
                 A 
                 A 
               
               
                   
                 (TM) 
               
               
                 Example 15 
                 Printing Paper Arabel 
                 Cellulose 
                 119.52 
                 10 
                 50 
                 10 
                 A 
                 A 
               
               
                   
                 (TM) 
               
               
                 Example 16 
                 Printing Paper Arabel 
                 Cellulose 
                 119.52 
                 10 
                 80 
                 10 
                 A 
                 A 
               
               
                   
                 (TM) 
               
               
                 Example 17 
                 Printing Paper Arabel 
                 Cellulose 
                 119.52 
                 10 
                 5 
                 10 
                 C 
                 A 
               
               
                   
                 (TM) 
               
               
                 Example 18 
                 Printing Paper Arabel 
                 Cellulose 
                 119.52 
                 10 
                 100 
                 10 
                 A 
                 C 
               
               
                   
                 (TM) 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     Next, Table 3 shows the results of evaluations that were conducted by changing the pressing time using the absorbing member  50  (acoustic mute board (AMB)) of Example 6, which had an absorbency at the upper limit value. All of the pressing pressures were set to 30 kPa. 
     From the evaluation results shown in Table 3, it was found that it is preferable for the amount of pressing time to be 7 seconds or greater and 60 seconds or less. It is considered that the amount of pressing time was too short for Example 24, and therefore before the ink seeped out from the gap  40  of the nozzle guard  32  was absorbed by the absorbing member  50 , the ink reached the ink ejection outlets  37  of the nozzles, resulting in ejection failures and an evaluation of “C” for nozzle check. In addition, it is considered that the amount of pressing time was too long for Example 25, resulting in meniscuses being broken and an evaluation of “C” for nozzle check. 
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
                   
                 TABLE 3 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Surface 
                   
                 Pressing 
                 Pressing 
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Roughness 
                 Absorbency 
                 Pressure 
                 Time 
                 Gap Ink 
                 Nozzle 
               
               
                   
                 Absorbing Member 
                 Material 
                 Rz (μm) 
                 (mm/5 min) 
                 (kPa) 
                 (seconds) 
                 Removal 
                 Check 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 Example 19 
                 Acoustic Mute Board 
                 Polyester 
                 340.6 
                 80 
                 30 
                 7 
                 A 
                 A 
               
               
                   
                 (AMB) 
               
               
                 Example 20 
                 Acoustic Mute Board 
                 Polyester 
                 340.6 
                 80 
                 30 
                 10 
                 A 
                 A 
               
               
                   
                 (AMB) 
               
               
                 Example 21 
                 Acoustic Mute Board 
                 Polyester 
                 340.6 
                 80 
                 30 
                 20 
                 A 
                 A 
               
               
                   
                 (AMB) 
               
               
                 Example 22 
                 Acoustic Mute Board 
                 Polyester 
                 340.6 
                 80 
                 30 
                 30 
                 A 
                 A 
               
               
                   
                 (AMB) 
               
               
                 Example 23 
                 Acoustic Mute Board 
                 Polyester 
                 340.6 
                 80 
                 30 
                 60 
                 A 
                 A 
               
               
                   
                 (AMB) 
               
               
                 Example 24 
                 Acoustic Mute Board 
                 Polyester 
                 340.6 
                 80 
                 30 
                 5 
                 A 
                 C 
               
               
                   
                 (AMB) 
               
               
                 Example 25 
                 Acoustic Mute Board 
                 Polyester 
                 340.6 
                 80 
                 30 
                 90 
                 A 
                 C 
               
               
                   
                 (AMB) 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     Next, the results of evaluations that were conducted employing the absorbing member  50  of Example 3 (printing paper Arabel (registered trademark)), which had an absorbency at the lower limit value with pressing pressures of 10 kPa and 80 kPa, and amounts of pressing time of 7 seconds and 60 seconds, based on the evaluation results of Table 1 through Table 3, are shown in Table 4 (Example 26 through Example 29). In addition, the results of evaluations that were conducted employing the absorbing member  50  of Example 6 (AMB), which had an absorbency at the upper limit value with pressing pressures of 10 kPa and 80 kPa, and amounts of pressing time of 7 seconds and 60 seconds are also shown in Table 4 (Example 30 through Example 33). 
     From the results shown in Table 4, it was found that it is preferable for the absorbency of the absorbing member  50  to be 10 mm/5 min or greater and 80 mm/5 min or less, for the pressing pressure to be 10 kPa or greater and 80 kPa or less, and for the amount of pressing time to be 7 seconds or greater and 60 seconds or less. 
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
                   
                 TABLE 4 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Surface 
                   
                 Pressing 
                 Pressing 
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Roughness 
                 Absorbency 
                 Pressure 
                 Time 
                 Gap Ink 
                 Nozzle 
               
               
                   
                 Absorbing Member 
                 Material 
                 Rz (μm) 
                 (mm/5 min) 
                 (kPa) 
                 (seconds) 
                 Removal 
                 Check 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 Example 26 
                 Printing Paper Arabel 
                 Cellulose 
                 119.52 
                 10 
                 10 
                 7 
                 A 
                 A 
               
               
                   
                 (TM) 
               
               
                 Example 27 
                 Printing Paper Arabel 
                 Cellulose 
                 119.52 
                 10 
                 10 
                 60 
                 A 
                 A 
               
               
                   
                 (TM) 
               
               
                 Example 28 
                 Printing Paper Arabel 
                 Cellulose 
                 119.52 
                 10 
                 80 
                 7 
                 A 
                 A 
               
               
                   
                 (TM) 
               
               
                 Example 29 
                 Printing Paper Arabel 
                 Cellulose 
                 119.52 
                 10 
                 80 
                 60 
                 A 
                 A 
               
               
                   
                 (TM) 
               
               
                 Example 30 
                 Acoustic Mute Board 
                 Polyester 
                 340.6 
                 80 
                 10 
                 7 
                 A 
                 A 
               
               
                   
                 (AMB) 
               
               
                 Example 31 
                 Acoustic Mute Board 
                 Polyester 
                 340.6 
                 80 
                 10 
                 60 
                 A 
                 A 
               
               
                   
                 (AMB) 
               
               
                 Example 32 
                 Acoustic Mute Board 
                 Polyester 
                 340.6 
                 80 
                 80 
                 7 
                 A 
                 A 
               
               
                   
                 (AMB) 
               
               
                 Example 33 
                 Acoustic Mute Board 
                 Polyester 
                 340.6 
                 80 
                 80 
                 60 
                 A 
                 A 
               
               
                   
                 (AMB) 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     The following additional items will be disclosed with respect to the present invention. 
     (Additional Items) 
     The wiping device of the present invention may be equipped with a control unit that transitions among a state in which the wiping blade is immersed in the cleaning tank, a state in which the tip of the wiping blade is brought into contact with the ink ejection surface to perform wiping, and a state in which the cleansing solution is sprayed onto the wiping blade by the spraying unit. 
     In addition, the wiping device of the present invention may be equipped with a rotational driving unit that has a rotation shaft provided at a position along a direction in which the wiping blade extends and that rotates the wiping blade about the rotational shaft. The control unit is capable of controlling the rotational driving unit to rotate the wiping blade, thereby transitioning among a state in which the wiping blade is immersed in the cleaning tank, a state in which the tip of the wiping blade is brought into contact with the ink ejection surface to perform wiping, and a state in which the cleansing solution is sprayed onto the wiping blade by the spraying unit. 
     Further, in the wiping device of the present invention, the spraying unit may spray the cleansing solution onto the wiping blade after wiping is performed. 
     Still further, in the wiping device of the present invention, the control unit may reciprocally rotate the wiping blade by controlling the rotational driving unit during the operation of spraying the cleansing solution onto the wiping blade after wiping is performed. 
     In addition, in the wiping device of the present invention, the control unit may reciprocally rotate the wiping blade by controlling the rotational driving unit after the operation of spraying the cleansing solution onto the wiping blade. 
     Further, in the wiping device of the present invention, the control unit may reciprocally rotate the wiping blade below a horizontal plane that includes the rotational shaft of the wiping blade. 
     Still further, in the wiping device of the present invention, the spraying unit may spray the cleansing solution onto the wiping blade before wiping is performed. 
     In addition, in the wiping device of the present invention, the spraying unit may have a spray pressure when spraying the cleansing solution prior to wiping and a spraying pressure when spraying the cleansing solution following wiping is performed which are different. 
     The first ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention is equipped with an ink jet head having a nozzle row in which a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink are arranged and a nozzle guard with an opening at a portion corresponding to the nozzle row, provided with gap with respect to an ink ejection surface of the nozzle row, an ink removing unit that performs an ink removing operation to remove ink which is adhered to the ink ejection surface by pressing an absorbing member that absorbs ink against the opening of the nozzle guard and the ink ejection surface, and a control unit that controls the ink jet head and the ink removing unit, the control unit causing the ink jet head to eject ink at a predetermined pressure to perform a purging operation, and causing the ink removing unit to perform an ink removing operation. 
     In the first ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, the ink removing unit may be equipped with a conveyance unit that unwinds a rolled absorbing member, which is an absorbing member wound in the shape of a roll, and conveys the unwound absorbing member such that it faces the ink ejection surface of the ink jet head, and a pressing unit that moves the absorbing member which is conveyed by the conveyance unit toward the ink ejection surface to press the absorbing member against the opening of the nozzle guard and the ink ejection surface. 
     In addition, in the first ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, a pressing operation may be performed in a region different from a previously performed region in the case that the pressing operation is performed on the absorbing member. 
     Further, the first ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention may be equipped with a moving unit that moves at least one of the conveyance unit and a pressing unit, and the ink jet head, and the moving unit may move at least one of these components relative to the direction orthogonal to the direction in which the nozzle row extends for a distance equal to the width of the ink jet head, to press the opening of the nozzle guard and the ink ejection surface against different regions of the absorbing member. 
     Still further, in the first ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, the conveyance unit may convey the absorbing member such that a new region of the absorbing member is arranged at a position that faces the ink ejection surface after the pressing unit presses different regions of the absorbing member against the opening of the nozzle guard and the ink ejection surface. 
     In addition, in the first ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, the conveyance unit may convey the absorbing member for a distance equal to the length of the ink jet head in the direction in which the nozzle row extends, to arrange a new region of the absorbing member at a position that faces the ink ejection surface. 
     Further, in the first ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable for the absorbency of the absorbing member to be 10 mm/5 min or greater and 80 mm/5 min or less. 
     Still further, in the first ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable for the ink removing unit to press the absorbing member against the ink jet head with a pressing pressure of 10 kPa or greater and 80 kPa or less for an amount of time 7 seconds or greater and 60 seconds or less. 
     In addition, in the first ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable for the absorbing member to be formed by fibers which are thicker than the diameter of the nozzles. 
     Further, in the first ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable for the lengths of the fibers on the surface of the absorbing member to be shorter than the distance from the ink ejection surface of the nozzles to the surface of the nozzle guard. 
     Still further, in the first ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable for the intervals among the fibers on the surface of the absorbing member to be wider than the arrangement pitch of the nozzles. 
     In addition, in the first ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, the conveyance unit may convey a plurality of absorbing members at a position that faces the ink ejection surface, and the pressing unit may press a plurality of absorbing members against the opening of the nozzle guard and the ink ejection surface in a state in which the plurality of absorbing members are stacked. 
     Further, in the first ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, the control unit may perform the ink removing operation after a preset standby time has elapsed following the purge operation being performed. 
     Still further, in the first ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, the control unit may change the amount of the standby time according to the pressure during purging. 
     In addition, in the first ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, the ink removing section may form a meniscus at the ink ejection outlet of the nozzle by performing the ink removing operation. 
     Further, in the ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable for the surface roughness Rz of the absorbing member to be 410 μm or less. 
     A second ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention is equipped with an ink jet head having a nozzle row in which a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink are arranged and a nozzle guard with an opening at a portion corresponding to the nozzle row, provided with gap with respect to an ink ejection surface of the nozzle row, an ink removing unit that performs an ink removing operation to remove ink which is adhered to the ink ejection surface by pressing an absorbing member that absorbs ink against the opening of the nozzle guard and the ink ejection surface, a wiping unit having a wiping blade which is coated with a cleansing solution that performs a wiping operation to wipe the ink ejection surface with the wiping blade, and a control unit that controls ejection of ink from the ink jet head, the ink removing operation performed by the ink removing unit, and the wiping operation performed by the wiping unit, the control unit controlling the ink jet head to eject ink at a predetermined pressure to perform a purging operation, controlling the ink removing unit to perform the ink removing operation, and controlling the wiping unit to perform the wiping operation. 
     In addition, in the second ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, the control unit may cause a minute amount of ink ejecting operation to be performed by the ink jet head in a state in which the opening of the nozzle guard is hermetically sealed following the wiping operation and prior to performing a printing process by the ink jet head. 
     Further, in the second ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, the control unit may perform the ink removing operation after a preset standby time has elapsed following the purge operation being performed. 
     Still further, in the second ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, the control unit may change the amount of the standby time according to the pressure during purging. 
     In addition, in the second ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, the ink removing unit may form a meniscus at the ink ejection outlet of the nozzle by performing the ink removing operation. 
     In the second ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable for the absorbency of the absorbing member to be 10 m/5 min or greater and 80 mm/5 min or less. 
     In addition, in the second ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable for the surface roughness Rz of the absorbing member to be 410 μm or less. 
     Further, in the second ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable for the ink removing unit to press the absorbing member against the ink jet head with a pressing pressure of 10 kPa or greater and 80 kPa or less for an amount of time 7 seconds or greater and 60 seconds or less.