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.

A print device prints prescribed information on a plurality of print media including at least one first medium and at least one second medium arranged subsequent to the at least one first medium on a long medium. The plurality of print media corresponds to a zone number that is smaller than a total number of the print media to be printed. The print device judges, for each of the at least one first medium, a print quality or a degree of the print quality. The judging the print quality or the degree of the print quality is based on a prescribed result obtained the print content of the at least one first medium on which the printing has been performed. The print device prints, on the at least one second medium, judgment result information indicating a result of the judging the print quality or the degree of the print quality.

An image control system for a can decorator includes an electronic can decorator control assembly, a mechanical can decorator control assembly and a number of sensors. The electronic can decorator control assembly includes a programmable logic circuit and a number of modules. The mechanical can decorator control assembly is structured to be, and is, operatively coupled to at least one of an ink fountain ink application adjustment assembly, a ductor roll assembly duty cycle adjustment assembly, a printing plate cylinder assembly axial adjustment assembly or a printing plate cylinder assembly circumferential adjustment assembly. The electronic can decorator control assembly is structured to be operatively coupled to the mechanical can decorator control assembly. Each sensor in the number of sensors is structured to measure a can body applied image characteristic and to generate an image signal including data representing the can body applied image characteristic.

An image control system for a can decorator includes an electronic can decorator control assembly, a mechanical can decorator control assembly and a number of sensors. The electronic can decorator control assembly includes a programmable logic circuit and a number of modules. The mechanical can decorator control assembly is structured to be, and is, operatively coupled to at least one of an ink fountain ink application adjustment assembly, a ductor roll assembly duty cycle adjustment assembly, a printing plate cylinder assembly axial adjustment assembly or a printing plate cylinder assembly circumferential adjustment assembly. The electronic can decorator control assembly is structured to be operatively coupled to the mechanical can decorator control assembly. Each sensor in the number of sensors is structured to measure a can body applied image characteristic and to generate an image signal including data representing the can body applied image characteristic.

A printing parameter acquisition device includes an acquisition section and an output section. The acquisition section acquires a printing condition for specifying a member to be used when solder is printed on a board. The output section outputs a printing parameter which is associated with a printing condition corresponding to a printing condition acquired by the acquisition section and of which a reliability is a predetermined level or more, from a database that stores the printing condition, a printing parameter used for controlling driving of a printer, and the reliability of the printing parameter including inspection information on a print state of the solder inspected by a printing inspector in association with each other.

A method for an automated production of printing substrates on at least one printing machine having at least one computer, includes feeding print jobs to the computer in a printer job queue. The computer analyzes the print jobs in the printer queue in terms of defined minimum numbers before the print jobs are processed and the print jobs are not processed on the printing machine until a threshold of a defined minimum number is attained.

Provided are an inspection method, a program, an inspection device, and a printing device capable of realizing a uniform inspection in a defect inspection of a printed article using a special substrate. A method includes an imaging data acquisition step (S14) of acquiring imaging data (48) of a printed article using a special substrate, a non-printing region positional information acquisition step (S16) of acquiring information (44) for specifying a position of a non-printing region in the imaging data, the non-printing region corresponding to a substrate region of the printed article on which a pattern and a background of the pattern are not printed, an inspection step (S20) of specifying the non-printing region, analyzing the imaging data by applying a predetermined inspection rule (46), and performing an inspection of the printed article, and a notification step (S22) of performing a notification of an inspection result (50) and not performing a notification of an inspection result indicating that a defect is present in the substrate region of the printed article corresponding to the non-printing region.

According to examples, an apparatus may include a processor that may identify a first period for a heated system, the first period including a first set of power events and a first zero power event for the heated system and may identify a second period for the heated system, the second period including a second set of power events and a second zero power event for the heated system. The processor may also borrow, from the second period, a portion of a second power event of the second set of power events and may apply the borrowed portion of the second power event to a first power event of the first set of power events during the first period to remove the first zero power event from the first period.

According to examples, an apparatus may include a processor that may identify a first period for a heated system, the first period including a first set of power events and a first zero power event for the heated system and may identify a second period for the heated system, the second period including a second set of power events and a second zero power event for the heated system. The processor may also borrow, from the second period, a portion of a second power event of the second set of power events and may apply the borrowed portion of the second power event to a first power event of the first set of power events during the first period to remove the first zero power event from the first period.

A method for an automated production of printing substrates on at least one printing machine having at least one computer, includes feeding print jobs to the computer in a printer job queue. The computer analyzes the print jobs in the printer queue in terms of defined minimum numbers before the print jobs are processed and the print jobs are not processed on the printing machine until a threshold of a defined minimum number is attained.