A system for printing on a substrate can comprise a conveyor that is configured to move the substrate along a substrate movement axis. The system can further comprise at least one print head array. Each print head array has a plurality of print heads, each print head having a respective orientation axis. The plurality of print heads can have at least a first print head and a second print head, wherein the orientation axis of the first print head is angularly offset from the orientation axis of the second print head. The first print head can be offset from the second print head along the substrate movement axis.

The present invention relates to [1] a process for producing a printed material, including step 1 of subjecting an image-bearing surface of a printed recording medium 1 on which characters or images are formed by analog printing to discharge treatment under specific conditions to obtain a printed recording medium 1, and step 2 of further forming characters or images on the image-bearing surface of the printed recording medium 1 by ink-jet printing using a water-based ink to obtain the printed material, [2] an ink-jet printing method including the step of ejecting a water-based ink onto a printed recording medium 1 by an ink-jetting method to form characters or images thereon, in which the printed recording medium 1 has an image-bearing surface on which characters or images are formed by analog printing, and the image-bearing surface is subjected to discharge treatment under the specific conditions, [3] a recording medium for ink-jet printing, including an image-bearing surface on which characters or images are formed by analog printing and which is subjected to discharge treatment, in which a surface free energy of the image-bearing surface after being subjected to the discharge treatment is not less than 30 mN/m, and [4] a printed material including an image-bearing surface on which characters or images are formed by analog printing and then on at least a part of which characters or images are further formed by ink-jet printing using a water-based ink, in which the image-bearing surface after forming the characters or images thereon by the analog printing is subjected to discharge treatment, and a surface free energy of the image-bearing surface after being subjected to the discharge treatment is not less than 30 mN/m.

A machine arrangement sequentially processes sheet-like substrates with multiple different processing stations each having a substrate-guiding unit and a substrate-processing unit. At least one of the processing stations has, as a substrate-processing unit, at least one non-impact printing device which prints on the substrate. The processing station with the at least one non-impact printing device has a printing cylinder. Each non-impact printing device is arranged at the circumference of the printing cylinder. The printing cylinder is triple-sized or quadruple-sized. A double-sized or a triple-sized transfer drum, or a corresponding feed cylinder, is arranged directly upstream of this printing cylinder. Alternatively, a double-sized or a triple-sized transfer drum, or a corresponding transfer cylinder, is arranged directly downstream of this printing cylinder.

A method for operating a device for printing hollow cylinder is provided. The device comprises a rotating segmented wheel with a plurality of printing cylinders arranged successively along the periphery of the device. A plurality of plate cylinders are provided in association with the segmented wheel. According to a printing process to be performed, a selected quantity of plate cylinders is thrown onto the segment wheel or is thrown off the segment wheel. In a first printing process, a first partial quantity of thrown-on plate cylinders transfers printing ink to a plurality of the printing blankets arranged on the segment wheel. At the end of the printing process, at least some of the plate cylinders, that were thrown on the segment wheel in the first printing process, are thrown off the rotating segment wheel. During constant uninterrupted rotation of the segment wheel, for the implementation of a second printing process, a second partial quantity of plate cylinders is thrown onto the segment wheel and respectively transfer printing ink to a plurality of the printing blankets arranged on the segment wheel. The respective printing forme of at least one plate cylinder involved in the first printing process, and uninvolved in the ongoing second printing process, is changed during the ongoing printing process.

A method and equipment to form a digital print by applying dry colourants on a surface of a panel, bonding a part of the colourants with a binder and removing the non-bonded colourants from the surface. The method of forming a digital print on a surface of a panel includes displacing the panel under a digital drop application head, applying a liquid binder with the digital drop application head on the surface; applying colourants on the liquid binder and the surface; bonding a part of the colourants to the surface with the liquid binder; removing non-bonded colourants from the surface such that a digital print is formed by the bonded colourants; and applying heat and pressure on the panel, the surface and the bonded colorants such that the colourants are permanently bonded to the surface.

A method and equipment to form a digital print by applying dry colourants on a surface of a panel, bonding a part of the colourants with a binder and removing the non-bonded colourants from the surface. The method of forming a digital print on a surface of a panel includes displacing the panel under a digital drop application head, applying a liquid binder with the digital drop application head on the surface; applying colourants on the liquid binder and the surface; bonding a part of the colourants to the surface with the liquid binder; removing non-bonded colourants from the surface such that a digital print is formed by the bonded colourants; and applying heat and pressure on the panel, the surface and the bonded colorants such that the colourants are permanently bonded to the surface.

In some examples, a sheet-fed printing press includes a dryer for drying sheets printed by a non-impact printing device. A cooling unit is directly downstream from the dryer in the transport direction, and includes a cooling module above a conveying plane. The cooling module uses air as a cooling medium, and may include a blower module with blower nozzles that blow the cooling medium onto the surface of the sheets being cooled. The blower module forms, with a guide surface, a gap with respect to the surface of the sheet being cooled. The guide surface of the blower module is arranged at a height above the surface of the sheet being cooled so that the cross-section of an outer annular gap, through the cooling medium exits, is smaller than or almost equal to a sum cross-section across all opening surfaces of the blower nozzles in the guide surface.

The invention relates to a printing machine with hybrid printing technology for printing on a continuous material web. In order to create a printing machine with hybrid printing technology which is adaptable and flexible in use in the course of the current trend for digitization, the printing machine with according to the invention, hybrid printing technology for printing a continuous material web, is a printing machine with a rotating central cylinder, on the surface of which the material web is guided from a placement point to a separation point for printing; a plurality of inking units for digital printing of the material web are arranged in the region of an upper half of the central cylinder, and a plurality of inking units for flexographic printing of the material web are arranged in the region of a lower half of the central cylinder; an unwinding station is provided for unwinding the material web to be printed from a roll and a winding station is provided for winding the printed material web onto a roll, the unwinding station and the winding station being arranged on a first side of the central cylinder, with supply guide rollers for feeding the material web unwound from the unwinding station to the central cylinder and with discharge guide rollers for discharging the printed material web from the central cylinder to the winding station; the feed guide rollers and the discharge guide rollers being arranged on a second side of the central cylinder, with a feed guide roller for placing the material web onto the central cylinder at the placement point and a strip guide roller for detaching the material web from the central cylinder, the feed guide roller and the strip guide roller being designed in such a way that the placement point and the separation point are arranged on the lower quadrant of the central cylinder.

A device for processing substrates uses a separation system. Processed substrates can be separated into one or more waste parts and at least one blank. Improved flexibility for treating substrates is provided. The separation system comprises a transport cylinder and a stripping cylinder associated therewith. The transport cylinder has first openings and has a detachably secured packing having depressions in which perforations are formed, with at least one perforation covering at least one first opening. The stripping cylinder has a detachably secured packing having raised areas that correspond to the depressions.

A sheet-fed press includes at least two units embodied as modules. At least two of the modules respectively comprise at least one individual drive which is used to transport a sheet through the respective module or through at least one active region of the respective module. At least one of the at least two modules is configured as a non-impact cover module. At least one component of the at least second module comprises at least one drying system or one drying device. The sheet-fed press includes a transport path for transporting the sheets. At least the section of the transport path provided for the sheets, and secured by the non-impact cover module, extends at least essentially flat or essentially horizontally.