A printhead maintenance assembly for maintaining a printhead in an operable condition is provided. The maintenance assembly comprises: (i) a printhead maintenance station comprising an elastically deformable maintenance belt having a contact surface for sealing engagement with an ink ejection face of the printhead, the contact surface being sloped with respect to the face, and a conveyor mechanism for conveying the belt past the face; and (ii) an engagement mechanism for reciprocally moving the belt between a first position in which part of the contact surface is sealingly engaged with the face and a second position in which the contact surface is disengaged from the face.