An improved apparatus and method for printing directly onto Infra-Red (IR) transparent material (print media) such as Mylar using a method that is capable of using medium to high viscosity materials such as those needed for printed electronics. The proposed method would be able to print with variable data/imaging. A proposed method uses an IR receptor of which a print media is placed or passed over. Prior to irradiation the print media is coated with a sub-micron layer of dampening solution such as silicone oil that is then selectively evaporated off via a laser imaging device which passes IR energy thorough the dampening solution, print media and onto the receptor to evaporate dampening solution in areas that will be inked.

An image recording medium includes an image supporting member that has a ruggedness on a surface and has a surface roughness Rz of 3 m or more, an image receiving layer that includes a first thermoplastic resin having a glass transition temperature of 60 C. or more and a second thermoplastic resin having a glass transition temperature of 15 C. or less, and a transparent supporting member, in this order, wherein an image formed of an image forming material is provided between the image supporting member and the image receiving layer and a ruggedness corresponding to the ruggedness of the image supporting member is formed on an outermost surface of the image recording medium on a side of the transparent supporting member.

A support material for printing a support structure with an electrophotography-based additive manufacturing system, the support material including a composition having a charge control agent and a thermoplastic copolymer having aromatic groups, (meth)acrylate-based ester groups, carboxylic acid groups, and anhydride groups, with a high anhydride conversion. The composition is provided in a powder form having a controlled particle size, and the support material is configured for use in the electrophotography-based additive manufacturing system having a layer transfusion assembly for printing the support structure in a layer-by-layer manner, and is at least partially soluble in an aqueous solution.

A part material for printing three-dimensional parts with an electrophotography-based additive manufacturing system, the part material including a composition having an engineering-grade thermoplastic material and a charge control agent. The part material is provided in a powder form having a controlled particle size, and is configured for use in the electrophotography-based additive manufacturing system having a layer transfusion assembly for printing the three-dimensional parts in a layer-by-layer manner.

The metal image forming method of the invention utilizes a toner image as a resist pattern for metal image formation in a publicly known lift-off process, instead of using the toner image as a resist pattern during etching steps. A toner image is formed by formation and development of an electrostatic pattern directly on the substrate, without using a photosensitive body. The original toner image-formed surface, or the toner image-transferred surface, is covered with a metal layer by a physical vapor deposition method, after which the toner image is removed together with the metal layer on the toner image, to obtain a metal image. Transfer of a resin image onto a curved substrate, covering of the resin image-transferred surface with a metal layer by a physical vapor deposition method, and subsequent removal of the resin image together with the metal layer on the resin image, allows formation of a high-definition metal image on the curved substrate.

A support material for printing a support structure with an electrophotography-based additive manufacturing system, the support material including a composition having a charge control agent and a thermoplastic copolymer having aromatic groups, (meth)acrylate-based ester groups, carboxylic acid groups, and anhydride groups, with a high anhydride conversion. The composition is provided in a powder form having a controlled particle size, and the support material is configured for use in the electrophotography-based additive manufacturing system having a layer transfusion assembly for printing the support structure in a layer-by-layer manner, and is at least partially soluble in an aqueous solution.

A shaping system of a three-dimensional object includes a control unit which performs an operation of supplying data of a calibration marker to the material layer forming unit and stacking a material layer formed based on the data of the calibration marker on the stage, and an operation of supplying, to the material layer forming unit, data for arranging the shaping material in an entire area of the shaping area excluding an arrangement area of the calibration marker after the material layer formed based on the data of the calibration marker and stacking, on the stage, a material layer formed based on the data for arranging the shaping material in the entire area of the shaping area excluding the arrangement area of the calibration marker.

A toner is provided that includes toner base particles comprising a polyurethane resin in an amount of 50% by mass or more and 80% by mass or less of the toner base particles. The toner has a glass transition temperature Tg1 of less than 0 C., and each particle of the toner has a sea-island structure in a cross-sectional image obtained by a scanning electron microscope of the particle.

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, an image former configured to form an image on the image bearing member, a transfer portion configured to transfer the image formed on the image bearing member onto a recording material, a conveyor configured to convey the recording material to the transfer portion, a contact portion provided upstream of the transfer portion in a conveyance direction of the recording material and having a contact member for grounding the recording material to be conveyed to the transfer portion, and at least one processor configured to control, in a case where the recording material is of a first paper type, the contact portion so that the recording material is grounded by the contact member.

An image forming apparatus includes a transfer unit that comes into contact with an object to transfer an image to the object, a facing unit that moves together with the object in a transport direction of the object to bring the object into contact with the transfer unit, and a mechanism that brings the facing unit closer to the transfer unit in accordance with movement of the facing unit in the transport to bring the object into contact with the transfer unit and then further brings the facing unit and the transfer unit closer to each other.