Patent ID: 7543898

Claim:
A liquid ejection apparatus comprising: a liquid ejection head having a nozzle surface, a plurality of liquid ejection nozzles being provided in the nozzle surface, the liquid ejection head ejecting a liquid from the liquid ejection nozzles to a target transported along a target transport surface opposed to the nozzle surface; a liquid receiving member including an opening and a portion other than the opening, the opening being larger than the nozzle surface, the portion of the liquid receiving member other than the opening functioning as a liquid receiving portion that receives the liquid ejected from the liquid ejection nozzles in flushing; a liquid receiving member moving mechanism that moves the liquid receiving member along a movement plane defined between the nozzle surface and the target transport surface, wherein, in printing, the liquid receiving member moving mechanism moves the liquid receiving member until the opening faces the nozzle surface, and wherein, in the flushing, the liquid receiving member moving mechanism moves the liquid receiving member until the liquid receiving portion faces the nozzle surface; and a liquid ejection head moving mechanism that moves the liquid ejection head to move the nozzle surface close to or separately from the target transport surface, wherein, in the printing, the liquid ejection head moving mechanism moves the liquid ejection head until the nozzle surface reaches a printing position close to the target transport surface and wherein, in the flushing, the liquid ejection head moving mechanism moves the liquid ejection head until the nozzle surface reaches a flushing position spaced from the target transport surface; wherein, to deploy the nozzle surface at the printing position, the liquid ejection head moving mechanism moves the liquid ejection head in such a manner as to pass an end of the liquid ejection head corresponding to the nozzle surface through the opening of the liquid receiving member, thereby bringing the nozzle surface closer to the target transport surface than the movement plane.