Ink jet printer and cap device

An ink jet printer comprising:

• a head having an ink ejection surface formed with nozzles;
• a cap for developing a seal around the ink ejection surface of the head;
• an ink absorption member disposed in the cap to absorb ink that was ejected or sucked from the head into the cap;
• and
• a lid that covers an ink-ejection-surface-confronting portion of the ink absorption member except at least a nozzle-confronting portion of the ink absorption member, the lid being connected to an inner peripheral surface of the cap with a fluidly tight connection.

A cap device for capping a head of an ink jet printer, the head having an ink ejection surface formed with nozzles, the cap device comprising:

• a cap having a base and an inner peripheral surface, the base and the inner peripheral surface defining an inner space and an open side of the cap, the open side being in confrontation with the base, the cap developing a seal around the ink ejection surface of the head when the cap is in intimate contact with the head while the head is located at the open side;
• an ink absorption member disposed at the base of the cap to absorb ink that was ejected or sucked from the head into the cap from the open side of the cap, the ink absorption member having an upper surface facing the open side of the cap from inside the cap, the upper surface having an nozzle-confronting portion at a position that confronts the nozzles of the head when the cap is in an intimate seal with the ink ejection surface of the head;
• and
• a lid that covers the upper surface of the ink absorption member except at least the nozzle-confronting portion of the upper surface, the lid being connected to the inner peripheral surface of the cap with a fluidly tight connection.