A three-dimensional printing apparatus is disclosed has one or more troughs for receiving excess deposited particulate. Such troughs may be positioned to receive the excess deposited particulate into a particulate receiving chamber of the trough. An evacuation chamber is located at the bottom of each trough. A partition separates the evacuation chamber from the receiving chamber of the trough. The partition is selectively perforated to permit a desired amount of the particulate to flow into the evacuation chamber from the receiving chamber. The evacuation chamber is connected to a vacuum source to periodically or continuously draw ambient gas from a gas inlet to the evacuation chamber and/or from the receiving chamber through the perforations of the partition and then through the evacuation chamber toward the vacuum source to entrain an amount of the particulate and carry the entrained particulate out of the evacuation chamber.