A print control strip for printing onto a substrate, which moves in a printing direction X during a printing process, with a substrate width B, which extends perpendicularly to the printing direction X, wherein the print control strip extends at least over a portion of the substrate width B, wherein the print control strip has at least one row in the printing direction X, and wherein one or each row has a plurality of measuring fields arranged next to one another perpendicularly to the printing direction X, and wherein each measuring field has a center of area and a leading edge in the printing direction X. The center of area or the leading edge of at least one measuring field is arranged to be offset in or opposite to the printing direction X to the center of area or leading edge of an adjacent measuring field of the same row.

A gravure printing unit is provided by which substrate can be printed according to a gravure printing method. The gravure printing unit has a forme cylinder, which comprises, on its circumference, an image-forming pattern of recesses, and has an inking unit by which the pattern of recesses provided on the forme cylinder can be at least partially inked. The forme cylinder can be partially inked from an inking device via a first inking unit cylinder, which has, in the region of its lateral surface, recesses that correspond to recesses on the forme cylinder, and via a second inking unit cylinder, which is to be partially inked by the first inking unit cylinder. To produce an image element to be used for checking a relative position between the forme cylinder and the first inking unit cylinder, the forme cylinder has, within the printing width but preferably outside of an image-forming pattern of recesses that supplies the print image of one or more N-up copies, and lying in a circumferential region, at least one first recess, which overlaps on the forme cylinder only partially with a projection, which is obtained on the forme cylinder by the rolling off, in pairs in each case, of the inking unit cylinders that are involved in the ink transport, of a recess, which is provided in a defined position and location on the circumference of the first inking unit cylinder for the purpose of checking the relative position. A substrate section and a method for checking and/or adjusting and/or correcting a relative position between the first inking unit cylinder and the forme cylinder are also disclosed.

A system and control method for embossed-in-register of a sheet is provided. The system comprises a printed film winding/releasing mechanism, a film laminating roller and a pattern roller, wherein the printed film is provided with first identifiers at intervals; the system further comprises: a camera configured to acquire an image of the printed film, an encoder configured to detect a rotation position of the pattern roller, and a control system; the control system comprises a storage unit, a data acquisition unit and a control unit; wherein, the control unit is configured to identify a position of an identifier based on the image of the printed film, identify a rotation position of the pattern roller based on information fed back by the encoder and generate a rotation control signal of the pattern roller based on a difference of position information of the identifier and position information of the pattern roller so as to adjust a rotation speed of the pattern roller. By using the EIR solution provided by the present application, the printed film is not required to be widened, and an existing structure and effective area of the printed film are effectively used, so that the universality of the printed film is improved, the outturn percentage may be guaranteed, and the production cost cay be reduced.

A system and control method for embossed-in-register of a sheet is provided. The system comprises a printed film winding/releasing mechanism, a film laminating roller and a pattern roller spaced from the film laminating roller, wherein the printed film is provided with first identifiers at intervals, and the pattern roller is provided with second identifiers at intervals; the system further comprises: a color code sensing mechanism configured to detect the first identifiers, an encoder configured to detect a rotation position of the pattern roller, and a control system; the control system comprises a storage unit, a data acquisition unit and a control unit; wherein, the control unit is configured to calculate a deviation of a pattern position, corresponding to a current first identifier, of the printed film and a pattern position, corresponding to a current second identifier, of the pattern roller in a same pattern, and generating a control signal of the pattern roller based on the deviation. According to the present application, a high-precision adjustment signal of the pattern roller may be generated, an EIR effect is guaranteed, the outturn percentage is increased, and the production cost is reduced.

According to the invention there is an apparatus for printing onto cylindrical structures comprising: a plurality of inker devices each comprising a print cylinder and one or more servomotors for adjustably controlling the position or orientation of a print cylinder; a blanket device comprising a plurality of print blankets, in which the blanket device is configured to bring each print blanket into contact with the print cylinders to transfer ink from the print cylinders to the print blanket, and to bring each print blanket into contact with a cylindrical structure to achieve printing thereon; a transporter for transporting the cylindrical structures into and out of contact with the print blankets; and an automatic print correction system comprising a print inspection device for detecting a misregistration of ink transferred from one or more of the print cylinders onto a print blanket, and a controller for controlling the servomotors of the print cylinders to correct the misregistration in response to data received from the print inspection device.

A method of inspecting images on printed products by a computer in a printing machine. Printed products are recorded and digitized by an image sensor of an image inspection system in the course of the image inspection process, and the computer compares them to a digital reference image. If deviations are found, the defective printed products are removed. The computer analyzes the deviations found in the course of the image inspection process together with further data from other system parts and from the machine, determines specific defect classes and the causes thereof based on the defects by machine learning processes, assigns the defects found in the image inspection process to the defect classes in a corresponding way, and displays the classified detected defects with their defect classes and causes to an operator of the machine so that the operator can initiate specific measures to eliminate the defect causes.

The multiple printing plate mounting system of the present disclosure may be used to mount multiple flexible printing plates simultaneously onto a printing sleeve. The system has a back rotary vacuum plate with a plurality of distinct vacuum zones and may be controlled via valve by a computer control system. A filler plate may also be controlled with the same vacuum patterns. The filler plate will move minutely side-to-side. A front plate with match-controlled vacuum patterns may also have a servo to control front-to-back-movement. The distinct vacuum zones are used together with the movable front, back, and filler vacuum plates to selectively, individually, and independently align the flexible printing plates prior to mounting.

In a register error detection device, an image capturing unit captures an image of two first register marks of a first color printed on a substrate by a first plate cylinder of a rotary printing press and a second register mark of a second color printed on the substrate by a second plate cylinder of the rotary printing press. A calculation unit calculates a register error based on the number of pixels between a reference position located between the two first register marks and a comparison position that is based on the second register mark in the image captured by the image capturing unit.

Apparatus for the detection of print marks with a sensor arrangement which has at least one contrast sensor, which for generation of a cyclical sensor signal is disposed above the area of printed material containing the print mark which is passed below the contrast sensor, said apparatus also having a signal conditioning unit. The signal conditioning unit has at least one filter unit with a first filter for determination of the first derivation of the sensor signal, and on the basis of an evaluation of at least the first derivation of the sensor signal the filter unit generates at least one output value which is representative of print marks.

An apparatus and methods of decorating a metallic container are provided. More specifically, the present invention relates to apparatus and methods used to provide a decoration on a predetermined portion of a metallic container body. The decorator includes a sensor that senses decorations on metallic containers. A control system receives information related to the sensed decorations from the sensor and then determines if the decorations at least meet predetermined color, density, thickness, orientation, and consistency targets. The control system can automatically adjust elements of the decorator to correct a deficient decoration. In one embodiment, the control system can automatically adjust ink blades associated with a plurality of inking assemblies of the decorator to adjust the color, density, orientation, positioning, and consistency of decorations transferred to the metallic containers. In another embodiment, the control system can adjust a position of an inking assembly, an ink roller, a plate cylinder, a printing plate, a blanket cylinder, and a transfer blanket of the decorator.