Guide for a wiping assembly

A wiping assembly comprising:

• an elongate wiping element extending in a first orientation, the wiping element including a wiping portion and a pair of non-wiping portions disposed externally of opposite ends of the wiping portion;
• a pair of elongate guide elements located at opposite end portions of a headland region of a fluid ejection assembly to extend in a second orientation generally perpendicular to a first orientation through which the opposite ends extend, wherein each guide element includes a pair of outer receiving portions and an inner portion interposed between, and recessed relative to, the outer receiving portions;
• and
• a positioner to cause the wiping element to be in:
• a first position in which one of the respective outer receiving portions of the guide element receives biased sliding contact of the non-wiping portion of the wiping element to cause the wiping portion of the wiping element to be in generally parallel relation to, and spaced apart from, the headland region;
• or
• a second position in which the non-wiping portion of the wiping element is no longer in slidable contact against the respective outer receiving portion of the guide element and in which the wiping portion of the wiping element is in biased, slidable wiping relation against the headland region.

A method of manufacturing a wiping assembly, comprising:

• providing a wiping element to extend in a first orientation;
• providing a pair of elongate guide elements on opposite end portions of a headland region of a fluid ejection assembly, wherein each guide element extends in a second orientation generally perpendicular to the first orientation;
• providing a pair of guide components at opposite ends of a wiping element;
• arranging the guide elements and the guide components to be selectively positionable into biased releasable engagement relative to each other to cause the wiping element to become aligned generally parallel to the headland region;
• and
• providing each guide element with at least one first portion and a second portion so that, upon the biased releasable engagement, the at least one portion causes the wiping element to be spaced apart from the headland region and the second portion causes the wiping element to be in wiping relation with the headland region.