An automated slide processing apparatus comprising: (i) at least one fluid dispenser configured to dispense a fluid onto a slide; and (ii) a gas knife configured to direct a fluid along a processing pathway and toward at least one of (i) a wicking feature (14A, 14B) in communication with at least a portion of an end of the slide, or (ii) a longitudinal edge (11a, 11B) of the slide; wherein the gas knife includes a body, a plenum housed in the body, and a plurality of discrete gas outlets formed within the body and in fluidic communication with the plenum, the plurality of gas outlets being arranged along a line which runs substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the gas knife, wherein the plurality of outlets are evenly spaced from one another, wherein each of the plurality of discrete gas outlets has a slant angle of equal or less than 80 degrees relative to a longitudinal axis of the gas knife, wherein the slant angle is the angle in which each gas outlet of the plurality of discrete gas outlets is formed within the body relative to the longitudinal axis of the gas knife, wherein the plurality of discrete gas outlets each provides a gaseous output that merge to form a substantially uniform gas curtain, wherein the gas knife is configured such that the gas curtain produced therefrom roughly approximates the shape of a parallelogram and possesses a translational momentum having a vector component which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the gas knife. (i) at least one fluid dispenser configured to dispense a fluid onto a slide; and (ii) a gas knife configured to direct a fluid along a processing pathway and toward at least one of (i) a wicking feature (14A, 14B) in communication with at least a portion of an end of the slide, or (ii) a longitudinal edge (11a, 11B) of the slide; wherein the gas knife includes a body, a plenum housed in the body, and a plurality of discrete gas outlets formed within the body and in fluidic communication with the plenum, the plurality of gas outlets being arranged along a line which runs substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the gas knife, wherein the plurality of outlets are evenly spaced from one another, wherein each of the plurality of discrete gas outlets has a slant angle of equal or less than 80 degrees relative to a longitudinal axis of the gas knife, wherein the slant angle is the angle in which each gas outlet of the plurality of discrete gas outlets is formed within the body relative to the longitudinal axis of the gas knife, wherein the plurality of discrete gas outlets each provides a gaseous output that merge to form a substantially uniform gas curtain, wherein the gas knife is configured such that the gas curtain produced therefrom roughly approximates the shape of a parallelogram and possesses a translational momentum having a vector component which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the gas knife. wherein the gas knife includes a body, a plenum housed in the body, and a plurality of discrete gas outlets formed within the body and in fluidic communication with the plenum, the plurality of gas outlets being arranged along a line which runs substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the gas knife, wherein the plurality of outlets are evenly spaced from one another, wherein each of the plurality of discrete gas outlets has a slant angle of equal or less than 80 degrees relative to a longitudinal axis of the gas knife, wherein the slant angle is the angle in which each gas outlet of the plurality of discrete gas outlets is formed within the body relative to the longitudinal axis of the gas knife, wherein the plurality of discrete gas outlets each provides a gaseous output that merge to form a substantially uniform gas curtain, wherein the gas knife is configured such that the gas curtain produced therefrom roughly approximates the shape of a parallelogram and possesses a translational momentum having a vector component which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the gas knife.