Patent ID: 6966625

Claim:
An inkjet printing mechanism which comprises an elongate chassis which spans a print area; a printhead assembly that is mounted on the elongate chassis, the printhead assembly including an ink distribution assembly and an array of printhead chips mounted on the ink distribution assembly to span the print area; and an elongate platen assembly mounted on the chassis such that the platen assembly spans the print area, the platen assembly comprising an elongate body that defines a longitudinal platen surface for supporting a print medium during a printing operation carried out on the print medium; an elongate ink blotting member arranged on the body; a rotating mechanism to rotate the elongate body such that either the platen surface or the ink blotting member is aligned with the array of printhead chips; and a lateral displacement mechanism to displace the body towards the printhead chips when the blotting member is aligned with the printhead chips and to displace the body away from the printhead when the platen surface is aligned with the printhead chips.