An improved overcoat layer for an organic photoconductor drum used in an electrophotographic image forming device is provided. The overcoat layer is prepared from a curable composition including a charge transport molecule containing four radical polymerizable hydrophilic functional groups containing an oxygen atom of the general structure shown below:

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wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 contain a spacer group and a radical polymerizable hydrophilic functional group containing an oxygen atom, R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 are a non-radical polymerizable functional group, and R.sub.5 and R.sub.6 contain a spacer group and a radical polymerizable hydrophilic functional group containing an oxygen atom. The curable composition may also contain at least one optional curing agent. This overcoat layer improves wear resistance of the organic photoconductor drum without negatively altering the electrophotographic properties, thus protecting the organic photoconductor drum from damage and extending its service life.

A method of enhancing adhesion of an image to at least one surface of a substrate is provided herein. The method includes treating at least a portion of the surface by applying a composition comprising one or more polymers to the portion of the surface. The method further includes drying the composition after applying the composition to the substrate to form a treated substrate. The method further includes printing an image from an electrophotographic printer utilizing liquid toner technology on the treated substrate. The substrate is treated and dried less than about 5 minutes prior to being printed.

An improved organic photoconductor drum used in an electrophotographic image forming device and method to make the same is provided. The organic photoconductor drum contains a protective overcoat. The protective overcoat is prepared from a curable composition including a charge transport molecule containing four radical polymerizable hydrophilic functional groups containing an oxygen atom of the general structure shown below:

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where R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 contain a spacer group and a radical polymerizable hydrophilic functional group containing an oxygen atom, R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 are a non-radical polymerizable functional group, and R.sub.5 and R.sub.6 contain a spacer group and a radical polymerizable hydrophilic functional group containing an oxygen atom. The curable composition may also contain at least one curing agent. This organic photoconductor drum has excellent wear resistance without negatively altering the electrophotographic properties, thus protecting the organic photoconductor drum from damage and extending its service life.

There is provided a microparticle sorting device that automatically optimizes a fluid stream. There is provided a microparticle sorting device that includes a voltage supply unit that supplies a driving voltage to a vibratory element that applies vibration to an orifice that produces a fluid stream, a charge unit that imparts charge to at least some droplets ejected from the orifice, deflecting plates, arranged opposing each other with the fluid stream S therebetween, that vary a travel direction of the droplets, and a first image sensor that acquires an image of the droplets passing between the deflecting plates. The microparticle sorting device is equipped with a controller that detects the droplets in the image, sets a standard band corresponding to a width of the droplets before imparting the charge, and controls the driving voltage of the voltage supply unit so as to further decrease a quantity of the droplets detected in areas within a designated number of pixels from the standard band from among the droplets after imparting the charge.

Herein is described a method of applying foil from a foil web to a substrate. The method may comprise: ink-jet printing a UV-curable adhesive onto the substrate in a predetermined image area; subjecting the adhesive to a first curing by exposing the adhesive to UV light in a dosage range of 140-170 mJ/cm.sup.2; passing the substrate and a foil web through a nip where the foil web is pressed against the adhesive; subjecting the adhesive disposed between the substrate and the foil web to a second curing by exposing the adhesive to UV light in a dosage of at least 250 mJ/cm.sup.2; and separating excess foil from the substrate, to leave foil on the predetermined image area. Substrates and UV-curable adhesives are also described.

Described herein is a method for priming a print substrate for subsequently receiving a liquid electrophotographic (LEP) inkin which a surface of a print substrate is coated with a first primer using an analogue printing technique and a second primer is digitally printed to the surface of the print substrate coated with the first primer.

There is provided an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus that are excellent in charging properties and can suppress residual potential in the case where a strontium titanate particle is used as a metal oxide particle in an undercoat layer of the electrophotographic photosensitive member. An electrophotographic photosensitive member in which an undercoat layer contains a strontium titanate particle having a maximum peak at a position of 2=32.200.20 ( represents a Bragg angle) in a CuK characteristic X-ray diffraction pattern, the maximum peak having a half-value width of 0.10 deg or more and 0.50 deg or less, and a process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus each provided with the electrophotographic photosensitive member.

An electrophotographic photoreceptor includes: a cylindrical base body having a two-step stepped chamfer between a base body outer peripheral face and a base body end face; and a surface layer located on the base body outer peripheral face. The cylindrical base body has an outer chamfered face and an inner chamfered face lying closer to an end face than the outer chamfered face. A length L2 of the inner chamfered face is larger than a length L1 of the outer chamfered face, namely L1<L2, as viewed in lateral section taken along a rotation axis of the cylindrical base body.

Described herein is a process for preparing a flexible printed material. The process may comprise providing a flexible print substrate comprising a primer on a surface of the print substrate, the primer comprising a primer resin; printing an ink composition comprising a thermoplastic resin onto the primer on the surface of the print substrate; and depositing a cross-linking composition comprising a cross-linker onto the printed ink composition disposed on the primer such that the thermoplastic resin of the ink composition is crosslinked and the primer resin of the primer is crosslinked.

This invention provides hydrophobic compositions for forming hydrophobic toner receptive coatings on a substrate. The hydrophobic coating compositions for forming toner receptive coatings on a substrate contain a hydrophobic polymer comprising: (a) a N-vinyl amide monomer, (b) a non-reactive hydrophobic monomer moiety, and (c) a solvent. The coating compositions may further comprise (d) a substituted or unsubstituted monomer comprising a cyclic ether or an acetoacetate, or mixtures thereof. The invention also provides compositions suitable for addition to toner to enhance adhesion and toner substrates coated with the hydrophobic coating compositions. The hydrophobic polymer may be represented by the following structure, wherein x, y, z, and a, are defined herein. ##STR00001##