Patent ID: 8480211

Claim:
A wide format printer comprising: an ink supply; an accumulator reservoir having a headspace open to atmosphere, a supply inlet connected to the ink supply, an outlet and a return inlet; a valve coupling the supply inlet of the accumulator reservoir to the ink supply, the valve being configured to open when the ink level in the accumulator reservoir reaches a lower limit of a predetermined ink level range, and closed when the ink level in the accumulator reservoir reaches an upper limit of the ink level range; a plurality of printheads collectively spanning a media path more than 432 mm wide, each of the printheads having nozzles for ejecting ink onto media; a feed line connected to the outlet of the accumulator reservoir; a return line connected to the return inlet of the accumulator reservoir; a plurality of branch lines interconnecting the feed line and the return line, each printhead having a first port and a second port connected to a respective branch line; and a reversible peristaltic pump positioned between the outlet and the return inlet, the pump enabling priming of each printhead by pumping ink in a first direction from the outlet to the return inlet, wherein the return inlet communicates with the headspace of the accumulator reservoir, such that each printhead can be deprimed by pumping air in an opposite second direction from the return inlet to the outlet.