A sheet-fed printing press includes a printing cylinder and a high-precision sensor system for monitoring a sheet run in the area of the printing cylinder. At least one gage, which is mounted on the printing cylinder, can be detected by the sensor system. It is particularly advantageous if the sensor system is configured to be self-calibrating. A method for calibrating a sensor system and a method for aligning a sensor system are also provided.

Disclosed is a correction system for an alignment film printing plate, including: a roller and a printing plate mounted as a sleeve outside of the roller, wherein a first end portion of the printing plate is provided thereon with a plurality of columns of buckle groups, and a second end portion of the printing plate is provided thereon with a plurality of columns of slot groups engaged with the buckle groups. The correction system for the alignment film printing plate further includes an image controller used for measuring a deviation value between an actual position and a preset position for printing of an alignment film on a substrate. The correcting system of the alignment film printing plate has a simple structure and is capable of realizing different stretching degrees of an alignment film pattern at different positions on the printing plate, so as to improve a correction effect of the printing plate. As a result, deviation can be reduced between an actual position and a preset position for printing of the alignment film on the substrate, without significant increase in costs.

What is disclosed is an object holder for securely retaining an object while it is being printed in a direct-to-object print system and a direct-to-object print system configured to use various embodiments of the object holder of the present invention. In one embodiment, the object holder comprises a shuttle mount configured to slideably traverse a support member positioned parallel to a plane formed by at least one printhead configured to eject marking material on to a surface of an object. A memory foam is attached to the shuttle mount. A vacuum pump is used to withdraw a volume of air through a hole in the memory foam such that, a difference in air pressure causes an object to be pressed against the face of the memory foam causing the foam to partially deform to the object's shape.

An applicator for transferring an indicia to a substrate includes an ink layer forming the indicia. A white layer is disposed on the ink layer. An adhesive layer is disposed on the white layer. The adhesive layer is configured to adhere the ink layer and the white layer to the substrate.

A printing plate (10) having at least one optical marker (12, 14) for detecting a position of the printing plate (10) is described. The optical marker (12, 14) comprises an optically detectable structure (18) being positioned within a periphery (20) of the marker (12, 14). Furthermore, a method for detecting a position of a printing plate (10) is presented. Additionally, a control unit (38) for a system (36) for detecting a position of a printing plate (10) and a system (36) for detecting a position of a printing plate (10) are explained. Moreover, a computer program comprising computer readable program code means for causing steps of the method is defined.

What is disclosed is an object holder for securely retaining an object while it is being printed in a direct-to-object print system and a direct-to-object print system configured to use various embodiments of the object holder of the present invention. In one embodiment, the object holder comprises a shuttle mount configured to slideably traverse a support member positioned parallel to a plane formed by at least one printhead configured to eject marking material on to a surface of an object. A memory foam is attached to the shuttle mount. A vacuum pump is used to withdraw a volume of air through a hole in the memory foam such that, a difference in air pressure causes an object to be pressed against the face of the memory foam causing the foam to partially deform to the object's shape.

A printing plate unit to be demountably mounted on a printing plate mounting portion of a plate cylinder includes a printing plate and a printing plate coupling member. A length of the printing plate coupling member is larger than a width of the printing plate so that the printing plate coupling member is provided with a projecting portion projecting from the printing plate formed cylindrically in an axial direction. The printing plate unit is fitted to the printing plate mounting portion from one end side, and is demounted from the same one end side by gripping the projecting portion of the printing plate coupling member in a state both end portions of the printing plate formed into a cylindrical shape are coupled to each other by the printing plate coupling member.

A method of screen printing a design on a substrate, the method comprises the steps of controlling a computer-controlled plotter to cut an outline of the design into stencil material the stencil including a perimeter. Then, registering the perimeter of the cut stencil with marks on a printing screen and securing the cut stencil to the printing screen. Then, positioning the printing screen and cut stencil on the substrate and applying ink through the printing screen and stencil onto the substrate, wherein the design is reproduced on the substrate.

A printing device includes a printing section configured to execute a printing process of a viscous fluid on a printing target using a screen mask, and a receiving section configured to receive an accommodation rack having multiple shelf sections for accommodating frames configured to support exchangeable members for a printing process that is executed at the printing section.

A method is provided for automatically exchanging a sleeve (18a) of a printing tool (14, 16, 18, 22, 24) mounted in a printing machine (12), in particular a flexographic printing machine, by means of a printing tool handling unit (28) comprising a coupling interface (36). In one step of the method the printing tool handling unit (28) is temporarily coupled to a coupling interface (46) located at the end of a shaft (54, 56, 58, 60) of the printing tool (14, 16, 18, 22, 24) with its coupling interface (36). In a further step, the printing tool handling unit (28) transports the printing tool (14, 16, 18, 22, 24) to a separation unit (78) comprising at least one clamping device (80, 82, 84) and places the printing tool (14, 16, 18, 22, 24) in the clamping device (80) of the separation unit (78). The printing tool (14, 16, 18, 22, 24), in particular a sleeve (18a) of the printing tool (14, 16, 18, 22, 24), is clamped by the clamping device (80), and the printing tool handling unit (28) separates the shaft (54, 56, 58, 60) from the sleeve (18a) by pulling the shaft (54, 56, 58, 60) out of the sleeve (18a) while the sleeve (18a) is clamped in the clamping device (80).