Pagewidth Printer With A Printhead Maintenance Station Having A Capping Chamber With Inlet And A Vacuum Channels

1 . A printhead maintenance station for a pagewidth printer, said maintenance station comprising:

a capper having an open-ended capping chamber with a perimeter gasket for operatively engaging with a printhead of the printer to form a protective seal around the printhead; and

an engagement mechanism configured to actuate said capper into and out of sealing engagement with the printhead.

2 . The maintenance station of claim 1 , wherein the engagement mechanism includes a pantograph actuated via a cam arrangement by means of an electric motor into and out of engagement with the printhead.

3 . The maintenance station of claim 1 , wherein the capping chamber includes a constriction member which divides the chamber into an air inlet channel and a vacuum channel.

4 . The maintenance station of claim 3 , wherein the constriction member is configured to define a blast channel between the air inlet channel and the vacuum channel and across the printhead when said capper is engaged with the printhead to facilitate purging of the printhead.

5 . The maintenance station of claim 4 , wherein the base of the capping chamber defines an air inlet and a vacuum aperture which are operatively connected to an air inlet port and a vacuum port, respectively.

6 . The maintenance station of claim 5 , wherein the air inlet port is connected to an air hose and the vacuum port is connected via a hose to a vacuum system.

7 . The maintenance station of claim 6 , wherein the vacuum system includes an ink dump configured to receive ink purged from the printhead.