An apparatus and methods of decorating exterior surfaces of metallic containers are provided. More specifically, the present disclosure provides a novel metering roller for an inking assembly of a decorator. An adjustment mechanism is operable to move the metering roller to a first ink transfer position during a decoration run. In the first ink transfer position, the metering roller receives ink from an ink roller without contacting the ink roller. In one embodiment, during the production run, the metering roller is in contact with and transfers ink to a transfer roller. When the decoration run stops, the adjustment mechanism can move the metering roller to a second dwell position such that the metering roller does not receive ink from the ink roller.

An example fluid handling system for a printer is disclosed. In an implementation, the fluid handling system includes a first compartment, a second compartment, and a fluid port. The first compartment is fluidly coupled to the second compartment through the fluid port and the first compartment, second compartment and fluid port are disposable within a printer. In addition, the fluid handling system includes a barrier disposed within the fluid port. The barrier separates the fluid port into a first channel and a second channel, wherein the barrier is movable within the fluid port.

An example fluid handling system for a printer is disclosed. In an implementation, the fluid handling system includes a first compartment, a second compartment, and a fluid port. The first compartment is fluidly coupled to the second compartment through the fluid port and the first compartment, second compartment and fluid port are disposable within a printer. In addition, the fluid handling system includes a barrier disposed within the fluid port. The barrier separates the fluid port into a first channel and a second channel, wherein the barrier is movable within the fluid port.

A print material container comprising a body, a transfer mechanism, an inner connector, and an outer connecter. The transfer mechanism is to move print material in or out of the body. The inner connecter is on a connecting side of the body, and is to couple to a first location of an image forming apparatus to provide print material to the image forming apparatus. The outer connecter is on the connecting side of the body, and is to couple to a second location of the image forming apparatus to collect or receive unutilized print material transferred or received from the image forming apparatus.

Examples of the preferred embodiments use an ink quantity metric (e.g., lightness L*, darkness, image density, line width) of printed content to determine thickness of fountain solution applied by a fountain solution applicator on an imaging member surface and/or determine image forming device real-time image forming modifications for subsequent printings. For example, in real-time during the printing of a print job, a sensor (e.g., spectrometer) may measure the ink quantity metric of the current printing on print substrate. Based on this measurement of printed content output from the image forming device, the image forming device may adjust image forming (e.g., fountain solution deposition flow rate) to reach or maintain a preferred fountain solution thickness on the imaging member surface for subsequent (e.g., next) printings of the print job.

An object of the present invention is to provide a temperature adjustment device for a printing machine with a plurality of inking devices mounted therein, the device being capable of adjusting the temperatures of ink smoothing function rollers in the respective inking devices uniformly and accurately. The temperature adjustment device for a printing machine according to the present invention is a temperature adjustment device for a printing machine that adjusts temperatures of rollers in a plurality of inking devices mounted in a printing machine by supplying temperature-regulated water to shaft parts of the rollers, and is characterized by having a plurality of smoothing function roller temperature regulators, provided respectively corresponding to the inking devices, and each adjusting the temperature of the ink smoothing function roller among a series of rollers in each of the inking devices.

Examples of the preferred embodiments use printed content (e.g., halftones, difference in grayscale or darkness) to determine thickness of fountain solution applied by a fountain solution applicator on an imaging member surface and/or determine image forming device real-time image forming modifications for subsequent printings. For example, in real-time during the printing of a print job, a sensor may measure halftones or grayscale differences between printed content and non-printed content of a current printing on print substrate. Based on this measurement of printed content output from the image forming device, the image forming device may adjust image forming (e.g., fountain solution deposition flow rate, imaging member rotation speed) to reach or maintain a preferred fountain solution thickness on the imaging member surface for subsequent (e.g., next) printings of the print job.

This document discloses a system to dispense a precise and continuous amount of ink for a large printing press. The dispensing system can be judiciously combined into a more elaborate dispensing system that uses two chambers with ink having a different density to dispense ink with a precise, adjustable and stable ink density. The dispensing system can be used to compensate the drifts in quality observed in presses when the speed, or any environmentable parameters vary.

This document discloses a system to dispense a precise and continuous amount of ink for a large printing press. The dispensing system can be judiciously combined into a more elaborate dispensing system that uses two chambers with ink having a different density to dispense ink with a precise, adjustable and stable ink density. The dispensing system can be used to compensate the drifts in quality observed in presses when the speed, or any environmentable parameters vary.

This invention discloses an ink dispensing system for a printer using the nip area between the inking cylinder and the gravure/anilox cylinder as the sole source of inking. Our solution solves the problem of reducing the amount of ink present in the inking buffer, i.e. the nip area, of such printing machines, thereby accelerating the reaction time of an ink replacement and reducing the amount of waste and the cleaning time. The idea behind the invention is to provide ink to the nip area at selected locations when needed by using a dispensing apparatus that moves along the nip area.