Patent ID: 7753472

Claim:
A printhead maintenance station for maintaining a printhead in an operable condition, said maintenance station comprising: an elastically deformable pad substantially coextensive with said printhead, said pad being a one-piece elastomer pad having a uniform contact surface configured for sealing contact with all nozzles in an ink ejection face of said printhead; a pivot arm to which said pad is fixed, said pivot arm being pivotally mounted about a pivot which is substantially parallel with a transverse axis of said printhead; and a pivot mechanism for reciprocally moving said pad between a first position in which said contact surface is sealingly contacted with all nozzles in the ink ejection face, and a second position in which said contact surface is disengaged from said face; and wherein said contact surface is progressively contacted with said face during sealing engagement and peeled away from said face during a peeling disengagement, such that said peeling disengagement draws ink from said printhead onto said contact surface and towards one edge region only of said contact surface.