Inkjet printhead capping method and apparatus

Apparatus for capping a plurality of printheads of inkjet cartridges held within a printer carriage of an inkjet printer, comprising:

• a service station having a plurality of capping members which independently undergo cap deflection upon contact with the printhead of an inkjet cartridge;
• a service station assembly in which a service station carriage is mounted, said service station carriage collectively holding said plurality of capping members to be movable together as a unit in said service station carriage in a longitudinal Z axis capping direction between a first position at which the cartridges are spaced apart from the capping members to be not capped and a second fixed position at which the cartridges are in sealing capped contact with the capping members, the amount of cap deflection of each capping member at said second fixed position creating a proportional amount of sealing cap deflection force against each printhead, respectively;
• biasing means for exerting a biasing force in the longitudinal Z axis direction against said service station carriage, said biasing force greater than the total expected cap deflection forces between the plurality of cartridges and the plurality of capping members so as to ensure an abutment between said service station carriage and the printer carriage while said capping members are in sealing contact with the cartridges;
• and
• wherein additional undesirable relative movement in the longitudinal Z axis capping direction between the plurality of cartridges and the plurality of capping members in said second fixed position is arrested by mechanical stop means for creating the abutment of the service station carriage against the printer carriage, said abutment occurring separate from and in addition to the aforesaid sealing capped contact between the capping members and the cartridges.