Printer having a guide plate for transporting waste ink

An ink jet printer constructed to eject ink onto a sheet of paper fed in a paper feed direction along a paper feed path, comprising:

• a printer case having a print area where the sheet is printed upon;
• a carriage slideably mounted to the printer case so as to be moveable through the print area;
• a print head mounted on the carriage;
• and
• an ink intercept plate, disposed along the paper feed path, having a print surface out of contact with a sheet of paper being fed through the ink jet printer, said print surface being arranged in opposition to the print head such that at least a portion of the paper feed path passes between the print surface and the print head, the print surface being sloped away from the print head such that ink that contacts the intercept plate is directed away from the ink intercept plate by the sloped print surface, and said ink intercept plate having a rib-shaped paper guide extending therefrom to define a paper guide surface, said paper guide surface being sloped toward the print head in the paper feed direction and positioned to be engaged by the leading edge of a sheet of-paper fed along the paper feed path, wherein an acute angle is defined between said paper guide surface and said print surface.