A method of making a relief image printing element from a photosensitive printing blank is provided. A photosensitive printing blank with a laser ablatable layer disposed on at least one photocurable layer is ablated with a laser to create an in situ mask. The printing blank is then exposed to at least one source of actinic radiation through the in situ mask to selectively cross link and cure portions of the photo curable layer. Diffusion of oxygen into the at least one photocurable layer is limited during the exposing step and preferably at least one of the type, power and incident angle of illumination of the at least one source of actinic radiation is altered during the exposure step. The resulting relief image comprises dots and a dot shape that provide optimal print performance on various substrates, including corrugated board.

Pigment based particles in powder form intended to be used as colorants in a digital print formed by applying dry colorants on a surface, bonding a part of the colorants with a binder and removing the non-bonded colorants from the surface. A panel with a surface including a digitally formed print of macro colorants including a particle body and color pigments attached to the surface of the particle body is also described. The colorants are arranged in patterns with pigments on an upper and lower surface of the particle body.

Pigment based particles in powder form intended to be used as colorants in a digital print formed by applying dry colorants on a surface, bonding a part of the colorants with a binder and removing the non-bonded colorants from the surface. A panel with a surface including a digitally formed print of macro colorants including a particle body and color pigments attached to the surface of the particle body is also described. The colorants are arranged in patterns with pigments on an upper and lower surface of the particle body.

A method for printing a strip-shaped material to be printed uses a printing unit of a roller printer. Output data for actuating at least one printing machine printing unit component, which determines the shape of printing images, is generated from stored template image data of a complete printing image in order to generate a printed complete printing image. The complete printing image is determined or described in a primary data packet, and the dimensions of the complete image, which dimensions are measured in a template direction, are assigned to the complete printing image in the template image data or the primary data packet. The dimensions of the complete image are compared with a threshold, and if the threshold is exceeded, the complete printing image is divided into a plurality of sections with respect to the template direction, with the plurality of sections being determined or described in a plurality of secondary data packets. The sections are produced on the material to be printed by printing processes which are carried out by the printing unit and during each of which, output data, based on at least one of the secondary data packets, is processed.

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.

Examples include a printing machine for producing a security document. The printing machine includes an impression cylinder for guiding a substrate of the security document and a transfer cylinder cooperating with the impression cylinder at a transfer point for printing a print image onto the substrate. The substrate includes a transparent window with a micro-optical structure composed of microlenses disposed on one side of the substrate in the region of the transparent window and opposite to the side of the substrate with the print image. A printing device applies a layer that covers the print image and is of a lighter hue than a hue of the print image. The impression cylinder includes an embossing device around a circumference thereof. The embossing device creates the micro-optical structure of the microlenses during rotation of the impression cylinder on the substrate in a contactless manner by molding using an injection embossing method.

The invention relates to a system and a method for manufacturing a medical package, in particular a foil bag made of plastic. A print image with variable information comprising blank spaces is first applied by means of a thermal transfer printer. The blank spaces are filled by means of a hot stamp printing process.

Nanoimprint lithography forms a microfeature array on a substrate responsive to inkjet printing techniques for high resolution printing of circuit elements and other features with highly accurate fidelity to predetermined boundaries. The microfeature array is defined by micropillars formed between intersecting microchannels in the substrate. The micropillars are responsive to a sequence of ink droplets in a highly controlled and predictable manner based on the droplet volume, droplet spacing and temperature. The flow of liquid ink is restrained by the micropillars for pinning the ink for avoiding uncontrolled ink flow as occurs on a flat surface. Subsequent layers of deposited ink tend to follow pining of previous layers, allowing an iterative buildup of layers for forming a trace of sufficient thickness and a high aspect ratio allowing traces extending above the depth of the microchannels for aiding communication with surface mount components.

A printing machine comprising advancement elements for advancing material in sheet form to be printed which are provided at least with a traction drum which is designed to receive, at an entry region, the material in sheet form to be printed and to convey it toward an exit region spaced circumferentially apart, along the direction of rotation of the traction drum about its own axis, from the entry region; analog print stations are arranged around the traction drum, between the entry region and the exit region and, between at least two analog print stations, conveyance means are provided for conveying the material in sheet form to be printed which arrives from the traction drum along an advancement path that has at least one advancement portion for advancing the material in sheet form to be printed which extends substantially straight, along which at least one digital print station is arranged.