US Patent 7971959 Inkjet printer employing disposable sheet for printhead maintenance

An inkjet printer comprises a printhead having an ink ejection face and an ink supply system including a face flooding system. A sheet feed arrangement feeds a disposable sheet past the printhead and through a maintenance zone spaced apart from the face, and a print media feed arrangement feeds print media past the printhead and through a print zone. The maintenance zone is nearer the face than the print zone, and no part of the disposable sheet makes contact with the printhead.