Patent ID: 8201919

Claim:
An ink jet printing apparatus which performs a wiping operation in which an ejection opening formed face of a print head for ejecting ink is wiped, said apparatus comprising: a wiper to which a wetting liquid is transferred; a holding portion for holding the wetting liquid; a transfer portion disposed in said holding portion and subjected to be in contact with the wiper to transfer wetting liquid from the holding portion to the wiper; detecting means for detecting a remaining amount of the wetting liquid held by said holding portion; and control means for controlling a contacting operation of said wiper to said transfer portion, said control means causing said wiper to contact said transfer portion over a first area when the remaining amount detected by said detecting means is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, and causing said wiper to contact said transfer portion over a second area larger than the first area when the remaining amount detected by said detecting means is less than the predetermined amount.