Liquid ejecting apparatus and maintenance method

A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:

• a liquid ejecting head that ejects a liquid from a nozzle toward a target which is positioned away from a nozzle forming surface where the nozzle is formed;
• a wiping member that is capable of wiping the nozzle forming surface, the wiping member being formed in a long shape to be configured to move relatively with the liquid ejecting head;
• a movement mechanism that relatively moves the liquid ejecting head and the wiping member when wiping is carried out;
• a wiper unit that holds the wiping member, the wiper unit being capable of winding the wiping member;
• a sensor that measures a distance between the ejecting head and the target when the liquid is ejected;
• and
• a control portion that controls the wiper unit so as to change a winding amount of the wiping member in accordance to an amount of the liquid that adheres to the nozzle forming surface,
• wherein the control portion estimates the amount of liquid that adheres to the nozzle surface based on the distance between the ejecting head and the target that is measured by the sensor.