A printing apparatus is provided. The apparatus comprises: a printing unit including a first printing portion configured to print an image by a fluorescent material, and a second printing portion configured to print an image by a second coloring material that is not colored; and a controller configured to control printing of an image onto a print medium performed by the first printing portion, and printing of an image onto the print medium performed by the second printing portion. The controller controls an order of the printing by the first printing portion and the printing by the second printing portion, in accordance with an attribute of a region of an image as a printing target.

In an example there is provided a printing method comprising receiving first and second image data for first and second images to be printed on a substrate, determining first print data for the first image on the basis of the first image data and a white layer to be printed between the first image and second image, to achieve a nominal color profile for the first image; determining second print data for the second image on the basis of the first image data, second image data, the white layer and one or more properties of the substrate to achieve a nominal color profile for the second image; communicating the print data for the first and second images to a printing device to print the first and second images and white layer on the substrate.

An intermediate transfer medium having a first transfer layer releasably provided on a support, a thermal transfer sheet in which a first colorant layer, a second transfer layer, and a second colorant layer are provided on one surface of a substrate so as being frame sequentially, and the second transfer layer is releasably provided from the substrate, and a transfer receiving article. The first colorant layer is used to form a first image on the first transfer layer of the intermediate transfer medium. The second transfer layer is transferred onto the first transfer layer on which the first image is formed, and then, the second colorant layer is used to form a second image on the second transfer layer. The first transfer layer is transferred together with the second transfer layer transferred on the first transfer layer onto the transfer receiving article to obtain a print having a stereoscopic image.

Example implementations relate to emulating 3D texture patterns in a printer system. One example implementation receives an image having a number of image pixels and selects from a plurality of digital substrates which each correspond to a physical substrate. Each digital substrate has luminance change data corresponding to heights of a 3D texture pattern at respective locations of the physical substrate. An image having emulated 3D texture is generated by adjusting the luminance of the image pixels corresponding to respective locations of the physical substrate and according to the corresponding luminance change data.

Example implementations relate to emulating 3D texture patterns in a printer system. One example implementation receives an image having a number of image pixels and selects from a plurality of digital substrates which each correspond to a physical substrate. Each digital substrate has luminance change data corresponding to heights of a 3D texture pattern at respective locations of the physical substrate. An image having emulated 3D texture is generated by adjusting the luminance of the image pixels corresponding to respective locations of the physical substrate and according to the corresponding luminance change data.

Water-based ink including a pigment mix and a method to form a digital print on a substrate with a pigment mix having large pigments and a Piezo ink head equipped with an ink circulation system, the method including: providing a water-based ink including an aqueous pigment mix including settling pigments, a binder including an acrylic resin dispersion, and a viscosity increasing substance including glycol and/or glycerin, providing a steric stabilization of the pigments and adapting the size of the pigments and the viscosity of the water-based ink such that a settling velocity of the pigments exceeds about 0.001 mm/min at 25° C., circulating said water-based ink within said at least one Piezo print head, and printing a digital image with said at least one Piezo print head by applying ink drops of said water-based ink on the substrate.

Water-based ink including a pigment mix and a method to form a digital print on a substrate with a pigment mix having large pigments and a Piezo ink head equipped with an ink circulation system, the method including: providing a water-based ink including an aqueous pigment mix including settling pigments, a binder including an acrylic resin dispersion, and a viscosity increasing substance including glycol and/or glycerin, providing a steric stabilization of the pigments and adapting the size of the pigments and the viscosity of the water-based ink such that a settling velocity of the pigments exceeds about 0.001 mm/min at 25° C., circulating said water-based ink within said at least one Piezo print head, and printing a digital image with said at least one Piezo print head by applying ink drops of said water-based ink on the substrate.

The present invention relates in particular to a method and a device for a spatially resolved production of a location dependent textured coating. The method includes the steps of provisioning a two-dimensional representation, evaluating a data record of the two-dimensional representation, determining local structures of the two-dimensional representation, determining the type and location of at least one texture that is produced on at least one region of the two-dimensional representation, provisioning a fluid coating material, and applying the fluid coating material to at least one region of the two-dimensional representation.

The present invention belongs to the field of functional materials, and particularly relates to a directly printable image recording material, a preparation method and application thereof. The image recording material comprises 25 to 78.8 parts by mass of a photopolymerizable monomer, 0.2 to 5 parts by mass of a photoinitiator, 20 to 70 parts by mass of an inert component, and 0.05 to 2 parts by mass of a thermal polymerization inhibitor, and has an initial viscosity of 200 to 800 mPa.Math.s. The photopolymerizable monomer includes a thiol monomer and an olefin monomer, at least one of which is a silicon-based monomer with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane as a silicon core. By introducing a POSS-based thiol or olefin monomer into the photopolymerizable monomer in combination with other material components, the recording material is allowed to have an initial viscosity of 200 to 800 mPa.Math.s, and meanwhile, the low thermal conductivity characteristic of the POSS-based photopolymerizable monomer is utilized, so that image storage quality is ensured, continuous industrial production of the image recording material is achieved, the process cost is reduced and the production efficiency is improved.

A shaping system includes: a printing device that prints an image using predetermined ink on a thermal expansion sheet having a thermal expansion layer on one side; and an expansion device that performs: a drying process of heating the thermal expansion sheet to an extent that allows the thermal expansion layer to maintain a non-expansion state, to dry the image printed by the printing device using the predetermined ink; and an expansion process of, after the drying process, heating the thermal expansion sheet to an extent that allows the thermal expansion layer to expand, to expand the thermal expansion layer.