According to aspects of the embodiments, there is provided a method of measuring the amount of fountain solution employed in a digital offset lithography printing system. Fountain solution thickness is measured using a diffractive optical element (DOE) configured with grating surfaces varying in a periodic fashion to hold an amount of fountain solution. When radiated with a light source the combination of the grating surface and the fountain solution therein reduces the scattering of the surface structure (“contrast”) that gives rise to a diffraction pattern. The diffractive optical element can be placed on the printing blanket of the lithography printing system or on a separate substrate.

According to aspects of the embodiments, there is provided a method of measuring the amount of fountain solution employed in a digital offset lithography printing system. Fountain solution thickness is measured using a diffractive optical element (DOE) configured with grating surfaces varying in a periodic fashion to hold an amount of fountain solution. When radiated with a light source the combination of the grating surface and the fountain solution therein reduces the scattering of the surface structure (“contrast”) that gives rise to a diffraction pattern. The diffractive optical element can be placed on the printing blanket of the lithography printing system or on a separate substrate.

A printing apparatus and a printing method for applying ink to a surface of a printing plate in a predetermined pattern and then transfer the ink applied in the shape of the pattern to a substrate. A scale is formed on the surface of the printing plate; the printing apparatus includes a plate cylinder on which the printing plate is provided, an image recording section that applies the ink to the surface of the printing plate in the predetermined pattern by an ink jet method, a reading unit that reads the scale and obtains position information data of the scale, a signal generation part that generates a signal based on the position information data obtained by the reading unit, and an adjustment part that adjusts an ejection timing of the ink in the image recording section on the basis of the signal obtained by the signal generation part.

The present invention relates to a decorative material having excellent printability, and the decorative material according to the present invention has an ink-receiving layer having a radially fine sloping structure having a dendritic shape, whereby the absorbing and/or fixing property, i.e., printability, of the ink printed on the ink-receiving layer is improved, and clarity is excellent, so that aesthetic effects are excellent. In addition, since the ink-receiving layer is manufactured through UV curing, it can be directly coated on a substrate layer, and can include various kinds of substrate layers; and since it is manufactured using a solvent-free type resin composition without using an organic solvent, and has an excellent absorbing and/or fixing property with respect to a water soluble ink, it has environmental friendly advantages.

A halftone raster image suitable for rendering a continuous-tone image includes a plurality of spiral dots. The spiral dots include image pixels arranged as a first arc or as a plurality of arcs which together represent a first spiral, and non-image pixels arranged as a second arc or as a plurality of arcs which together represent a second spiral. The spiral dots enable a controlled spreading of the ink within the dot, resulting in a higher image quality, ink saving, and faster drying.

Provided herein is a topcoat composition comprising at least one fluorosilicone, at least one infrared-absorbing filler, and silicone dioxide present in an amount ranging from greater than about 5% to about 10%, by weight based on a total weight of the topcoat composition, wherein when the topcoat composition has a shear rate between about 2 s.sup.−1 to about 3 s.sup.−1, the topcoat composition has a viscosity ranging from about 1500 mPa/s to about 500 mPa/s and the shear rate does not decrease as the viscosity increases or decreases. Further provided herein are methods of making the topcoat composition, as well as an imaging blanket and methods of reducing coating defects on a media coated using the imaging member.

A printing apparatus applies ink to a surface of a printing plate in the shape of a predetermined pattern and then transfers the ink to a substrate. The printing apparatus includes: an image recording section that applies the ink to the surface of the printing plate; a plate surface observation unit that acquires information about the surface of the printing plate; a storage section that stores information about a reference shape serving as a reference of the surface of the printing plate; and a determination section that compares the information about the reference shape stored in the storage section with the information about the surface of the printing plate, which is obtained by the plate surface observation unit, and determines whether or not the surface of the printing plate to which the ink has been applied is present in a predetermined range of the reference shape.

A white ink composition for ink-based digital printing includes a white pigment. The white pigment is titanium dioxide. A method for ink-based digital printing includes applying dampening fluid to an imaging member to form a dampening fluid layer, patterning the dampening fluid layer using a laser imaging system, applying a white ink composition to the imaging member surface having the patterned dampening fluid disposed thereon to form an ink image, partially curing the ink image, and transferring the partially cured ink image to a printable substrate.

A porous layer included in a transfer body for image recording by a heat transfer method has a multiple layer configuration, and porous layers are provided such that when a thickness (mm) of each porous layer from a porous layer P(1) of the plurality of porous layers on a side closest to the surface layer to a porous layer P(n) on a side closest to the substrate is set to t(n) (n≥2), and a total thickness of the transfer body is set to T (mm), Expression (1): C×T≤t(1)+ . . . +t(n) (here, C=0.4, and T≥1) is satisfied.

Disclosed herein are methods for an ink-based digital printing system, comprising providing an imaging member a reimageable surface layer disposed on a structural mounting layer, the reimageable surface layer comprising a fluorosilicone elastomer and an infrared-absorbing filler comprising carbon black, and a plurality of surface defects on the reimageable surface layer, wherein the surface defects comprises carbon black exposed through the fluorosilicone elastomer of the reimageable surface layer. The method also comprises applying a coating of rejuvenating oil comprising an amino-functional organopolysiloxane to the reimageable surface layer, whereby at least a portion of the plurality of surface defects are coated by the amino-functional organopolysiloxane, thereby rejuvenating the imaging member.