The present disclosure provides a robotic printing system for printing images on the surface of an object. One exemplary system includes a printing module carried by a motion platform to directly eject printing materials on a surface. One aspect of this disclosure provides methods for accurately controlling the motion of the motion platform, generating accurate triggering signals for printing heads, and properly aligning adjacent swaths of an image.

Example implementations relate to emulating 3D texture patterns in a printer system. One example implementation determines a 3D texture pattern data having a number of pattern pixels at different heights and associated with respective surfaces of a corresponding 3D texture pattern. Luminance change data is determined for each pattern pixel depending on an angle between a normal vector of the respective surface and a simulated light vector. Image data is obtained having a number of image pixels and the luminance of each image pixel is adjusted depending on the luminance change data of a corresponding pattern pixel in order to generate an image with an emulated 3D texture pattern.

Example implementations relate to emulating 3D texture patterns in a printer system. One example implementation determines a 3D texture pattern data having a number of pattern pixels at different heights and associated with respective surfaces of a corresponding 3D texture pattern. Luminance change data is determined for each pattern pixel depending on an angle between a normal vector of the respective surface and a simulated light vector. Image data is obtained having a number of image pixels and the luminance of each image pixel is adjusted depending on the luminance change data of a corresponding pattern pixel in order to generate an image with an emulated 3D texture pattern.

A publisher configured to record data on a medium by a first media drive and a second media drive and including a publisher controller and a publisher storage, the publisher controller being configured to detect a type of a medium on which data is recordable by the first media drive and detect a type of a medium on which data is recordable by the second media drive, the type of the medium on which data is recordable by the first media drive and the second media drive being defined as a recording target type, the type of a medium on which data is recordable by only any one of the first media drive and the second media drive being defined as a non-recording target type, and the publisher being configured to store target type information representing the recording target type and the non-recording target type.

A method and a direct-printing machine for printing on containers of different types of materials in a direct-printing process, wherein containers of a first type of material are conveyed by means of a conveyor and printed on, in several layers, with a plurality of printing units by means of direct-printing heads with a first basic ink compatible with the first type of material (102) and, on top of the first basic ink, with at least one colored ink. The first basic ink may be exchanged for a second basic ink, which is compatible with the second type of material, when a change to containers of a second type of material takes place, and the containers of the second type of material may then be printed on, in several layers, with the second basic ink (105) and, on top of the second basic ink, with the at least one colored ink.

In some examples, a system and method for activating a physical payment card are described. The method includes receiving from a mobile device of a user a request for a physical payment card and first state data indicating a state of the mobile device or an application executing on the mobile device at a time of the request. The physical payment card is mailed to the user. The mobile device reads an identifier on a surface of the container via a sensor of the mobile device and sends the identifier data and a second state data from the time of the reading. The identifier data is compared to a user identifier in a customer profile of the user and the second state data is determined to correspond to the first state data. The physical payment card is then automatically activated.

In some examples, a system and method for activating a physical payment card are described. The method includes receiving from a mobile device of a user a request for a physical payment card and first state data indicating a state of the mobile device or an application executing on the mobile device at a time of the request. The physical payment card is mailed to the user. The mobile device reads an identifier on a surface of the container via a sensor of the mobile device and sends the identifier data and a second state data from the time of the reading. The identifier data is compared to a user identifier in a customer profile of the user and the second state data is determined to correspond to the first state data. The physical payment card is then automatically activated.

Example implementations relate to emulating 3D texture patterns in a printer system. One example implementation determines a 3D texture pattern data having a number of pattern pixels at different heights and associated with respective surfaces of a corresponding 3D texture pattern. Luminance change data is determined for each pattern pixel depending on an angle between a normal vector of the respective surface and a simulated light vector. Image data is obtained having a number of image pixels and the luminance of each image pixel is adjusted depending on the luminance change data of a corresponding pattern pixel in order to generate an image with an emulated 3D texture pattern.

Example implementations relate to emulating 3D texture patterns in a printer system. One example implementation determines a 3D texture pattern data having a number of pattern pixels at different heights and associated with respective surfaces of a corresponding 3D texture pattern. Luminance change data is determined for each pattern pixel depending on an angle between a normal vector of the respective surface and a simulated light vector. Image data is obtained having a number of image pixels and the luminance of each image pixel is adjusted depending on the luminance change data of a corresponding pattern pixel in order to generate an image with an emulated 3D texture pattern.

The optical scanning device includes a swingable reflector; a blocking unit that is provided in the reflector to move in linkage with the reflector; and a sensor unit that includes at least a first sensor unit and a second sensor unit, wherein each of the first and second sensor units includes an output unit, which is a light generator or an electromagnetic wave generator configured to output a detection target and a detection unit, which is a light receiver or an electromagnetic wave receiver configured to detect the detection target. The output unit is at a position that faces the detection unit. When the reflector is in a predetermined swing angle range, the blocking plate blocks a path of the detection target between the output unit and the detection unit.