Force for biasing a roller member is changed according to the contact state of first and second plate-like bodies during the travel of the roller member. By that, the pressing force per unit area given from the second plate-like body to the first plate-like body during travel is suppressed. An object to be transferred is satisfactorily transferred despite a change in the contact state of the plate-like bodies during the travel of the roller member.

A device for the surface treatment of a substrate including a transport device, a vacuum suction device, a corona device and a coating device, is described. The transport device is formed as a conveyor belt. The conveyor belt is formed as a vacuum suction belt of the vacuum suction device, and the conveyor belt is formed as a counter electrode of the corona device.

An article having a non-planar surface with a decoration, the article being molded from a wet pulp pre-form, wherein the article with the decoration is formed by applying a printing decoration in a distorted form to the wet pulp pre-form, and wherein moulding process of the article causes distortion of the printing decoration from the distorted form to a post distortion form corresponding with the decoration.

A hybrid transfer machine includes: a body including a first drum installation part, a second drum installation part, a first body, a second body, and a worktable; a first drive means configured to allow wound fabric to be unwound; a thermal transfer unit configured to be installed in the second body, and to press and heat the fabric and transfer paper; a piece-type roller arm configured to be installed in the second body, and to guide the transfer paper to the third drum installation part; a second drive means configured to allow the transfer paper to be wound; a third drive means configured to allow the fabric to be wound; and a conveyer configured to be installed in the body, and to transfer the fabric and the transfer paper to the third and fourth drum installation parts.

A printing machine with a cold foil roller includes a printing plate roller, an ink roller set, a transfer roller, a material catching roller and a hollow roller inside a chassis. The hollow roller contains a wheel wall, a driving motor, an infeed wheel and an outfeed. The driving motor is connected to a control element, and the outfeed wheel has a cold foil with an end wound from a side inside the hollow roller to the outside and attached from an outer surface of the wheel wall to the other side inside the hollow roller and then fixed to the infeed wheel. The driving motor is provided for transmitting the infeed wheel to send/receive cold foil, and the driving motor rotates with the hollow roller asynchronously to avoid wasting the cold foil caused by the synchronous operation of the driving motor and the hollow roller.

Printer circuits and components for detecting a media low condition on a printer are provided. The printer circuit comprises a motor coupled to a platen roller, a current sense resistor coupled in series with the motor, a current measuring circuit comprising an operational amplifier circuit configured to receive input voltage and output voltage of the current sense resistor, generate a differential voltage based at least in part on the input voltage and the output voltage, and convert the differential voltage to a current, and an analog-to-digital converter and control mechanism configured to receive the current from the current measuring circuit and control operation of the motor based at least in part on the current.

Apparatuses and methods for applying a transfer material onto the surface of an article are disclosed, including methods of transfer printing on and/or decorating three-dimensional articles, as well as the articles printed and/or decorated thereby. In some cases, the apparatuses and methods involve providing a deposition device, such as a printing device; providing a transfer component; depositing a material onto a portion of the transfer component with the deposition device; conforming the transfer component to at least a portion of the surface of the three-dimensional article; and transferring the transfer material onto the surface of the article. The transfer component with the transfer material thereon may initially make contact with a portion of the surface of the article with a lesser radius of curvature, and then may make contact with portions of the surface of the article with a greater radius of curvature.

A method of forming a molded and printed product from pulp material including the steps of: forming a wet pulp pre-form mold; applying printing decoration to the wet pulp pre-form via an intermediate transfer surface: transferring printed pre-form to a final mold; and molding or re-molding the printed pre-form into a final shape.

Retransfer printing methods and systems are described where a variable stripping process is utilized while stripping all or a portion of the retransfer film (also known as intermediate transfer media) from the surface of a substrate. The variable stripping process includes stripping the retransfer film from different sections of the substrate surface while applying different tensions to the retransfer film and/or at different transport speeds of the retransfer film and the substrate.

An automated system and method of printing designs. The system and method can manage print content by application of programmable inks to selected areas in the packaging where frequently modified designs are printed. Such an approach allows the area to be precisely activated to correspond to the target pattern of the desired design and permanently change color. In some embodiments, any change in the text on the packaging/label would then only need to be translated into a corresponding UV or heat pattern, thereby avoiding the production of a new print cylinder to print the changed design. The proposed embodiments are effective in reducing downtime during print operations as well as expanding the capacity of the print apparatus to dynamically respond to changes in print designs.