INKJET PRINTER HAVING AN INKJET PRINTHEAD AND A ROTATING PLATEN
An inkjet printer is disclosed. The printer has an inkjet printhead and a rotating platen. The platen has disposed on part of the surface of the platen an ink absorbing member.
1 . An inkjet printer comprising an inkjet printhead and a rotating platen, the platen having disposed on part of the surface of the platen an ink absorbing member, the ink absorbing member having a length substantially equal to the length of a body of the platen.
2 . The inkjet printer according to claim 1 , wherein the surface of the platen further has a print media supporting area for supporting print media being printed on.
3 . The inkjet printer according to claim 2 , wherein the printhead is controllable to print ink drops whilst the print media supporting area of the platen lies adjacent the printhead.
4 . The inkjet printer according to claim 3 , wherein the ink absorbing member receives ink from the printhead whilst the ink absorbing member lies in an ink ejection path of the printhead.
5 . The inkjet printer according to claim 3 , wherein the printhead forms a page wide array of ink ejection nozzles substantially spanning the print media supporting area.
6 . The inkjet printer according to claim 1 wherein the rotating platen comprises:
a hollow body forming the surface of the platen, the body having a longitudinal slot; and
absorbing material filling at least part of the body and projecting through the longitudinal slot, the projecting absorbing material defining the ink absorbing member.
7 . The inkjet printer according to claim 1 , wherein the surface of the platen further has a capping member for capping the printhead of the inkjet printing device.
8 . The inkjet printer according to claim 1 wherein the platen further comprises cams located at longitudinal ends of the body of the platen, said cams being arranged to co-operate with projections associated with the printhead of the inkjet printing device to control the distance between the surface of the platen and the printhead dependent on the angular orientation of the rotating platen.
9 . The inkjet printer according to claim 8 , wherein the rotating platen is resiliently biased in a direction towards the printhead.