Can I use your spittoon?
There are a lot of parts within a printer that many people don’t realize is there. Whereas some people know nothing about the inner workings of a printer, others think they know everything. There are a few secret compartments that consumers would be interested to learn about. Even after knowing these parts exist, how do you find out what they do? A printer spittoon is an important part of current inkjet printers, as documented on wikipedia. It sounds like a big jar from the old west that John Wayne and his buddies would spit in, but rather it keeps your printer running for much longer than it would with the part.
Inkjet printers use liquid ink for printing, which differs from powder toner and solid ink stick that are featured in other types of machines. Because the inkjet printers use liquid, sometimes the cartridges leak or get clogged and it is vital to clean out the mess before the device can no longer serve its purpose. In order to clean it out without the user having to take apart the entire machine, ink is automatically shot through the nozzles to release any build up. When this happens, the excess ink falls into a tray so it does not go all over and make a mess out of the interior of your printer.
The spittoon is there to catch that ink, making it a rather crucial part of the printer. However, that tray can fill up or even overflow and people who don’t even know the spittoon exists can have a world of trouble caused by it. The cleaning station is right next to the spittoon and both will most likely need a maintenance service to get rid of all the excess ink after years of wear and tear.