A laminated card and a method for manufacturing such a card. The card includes a thermoplastics backing layer, an adhesive layer, a primer layer, a thermochromic pattern which is printed using a thermochromic ink, and a plastics protective layer. The primer layer is suitable for the thermochromic ink, enabling good adhesion of the thermochromic pattern to the lower layers such as to the backing layer via the adhesive layer. The adhesive layer and the primer layer are both water-based or both polymerised under UV radiation. The thermochromic ink includes a liquid crystal compound.

A sheet embellishing system that embellishes a sheet while conveying the sheet includes a varnish-applying device that applies varnish that is ultraviolet (UV) curable to the sheet, and irradiates the varnish by UV rays. The varnish-applying device performs half-curing of varnish applied to a first region of the sheet by irradiating the varnish applied to the first region by UV rays, and performs full-curing of varnish applied to a second region of the sheet by irradiating the varnish applied to the second region by UV rays under different irradiation conditions from the varnish applied to the first region, while the sheet is passed through the varnish-applying device once.

An apparatus and method of applying a finish or paint coating in a prefinishing or finishing line to a siding piece, board, plank, panel, or fencing panel or picket that provides a two-tone paint effect on a face thereof or that disguises the screen-back texture of the engineered wood substrate. After paint or similar coating is applied (such as by one or more spray nozzles) to a face to a fence picket or fencing product or component, the fence picket passes under a roller, brush, or roller brush or similar paint applicator while the paint is still wet. The roller/brush removes some of the paint and applies an angled pattern to the face, which disguises the screen-back texture of the substrate. Alternatively, a paint redistribution apparatus is used to move and/or remove a portion of the topcoat of paint to allow portions of a basecoat to be seen.

An image forming system includes an image forming unit, a varnish applying unit, a conveying unit, an irradiation unit, and a controller. The controller controls conveyance of a recording material so that a conveying speed of the recording material in a case that varnish is applied to the recording material with a toner image is formed is slower than a conveying speed of the recording material in a case that varnish is applied to the recording material with no toner image. The controller controls irradiation of the varnish with light so that intensity of the light with which the varnish is irradiated in a case that the varnish is applied to the recording material with the toner image is lower than intensity of the light with which the varnish is irradiated in a case that the varnish is applied to the recording material with no toner image.

This disclosure provides a method of applying a first coating composition and a second coating composition to a substrate. The method includes providing the substrate defining a first target area and a second target area which define a gap there between of from greater than 0 and up to less than about 2 mm; applying the first coating composition via a first high transfer efficiency applicator to the first target area at a wet film thickness of from about 5 to about 150 microns; and applying the second coating composition via a second high transfer efficiency applicator to the second target area at a wet film thickness of from about 5 to about 150 microns to form a continuous layer of a combination of the first and second coating compositions that extends across the gap and also extends across at least an additional portion of the substrate.