An ink feed device includes an ink blade, a mounting device for the precise mounting of an ink blade and a system for feeding and dosing printing ink. The system includes an ink feed device and a mounting device. A method is provided for renewing a dosing edge of an ink blade, which edge is used to dose the ink. A method for operating an ink feed device, and including an ink blade, is also provided.

An anilox roll with low surface energy zone includes a cylinder having a curved contact surface, an ink transfer zone formed on a first portion of the curved contact surface, and a low surface energy zone formed on a second portion of the curved contact surface. The ink transfer zone includes a plurality of cells configured to transfer ink. The low surface energy zone includes a hydrophobic surface with a contact angle of at least 75 degrees and a surface roughness of less than 100 micrometers.

A method of achieving precision registration in a roll to roll process by simultaneously depositing multiple inks onto a printing roll. One of these inks prints a pattern of fiducial marks onto a substrate while another ink prints a predetermined pattern on the same substrate such that the predetermined pattern bears a predictable spatial relationship to the pattern of fiducial marks. Consequently, even if the ink forming the predetermined pattern is invisible, or has such low contrast with the substrate that it is effectively invisible, or even has been dissolved away in a subsequent processing step, it is still possible to know where the predetermined pattern is by referring to the pattern of fiducial marks.

A method of achieving precision registration in a roll to roll process by simultaneously depositing multiple inks onto a printing roll. One of these inks prints a pattern of fiducial marks onto a substrate while another ink prints a predetermined pattern on the same substrate such that the predetermined pattern bears a predictable spatial relationship to the pattern of fiducial marks. Consequently, even if the ink forming the predetermined pattern is invisible, or has such low contrast with the substrate that it is effectively invisible, or even has been dissolved away in a subsequent processing step, it is still possible to know where the predetermined pattern is by referring to the pattern of fiducial marks.

A method sets the inking in a printing press with multiple ink zones in an inking unit of a printing unit. The method includes: printing a test form onto a printing substrate with an intentional pre-defined color deviation from the intended target color; correcting the previously set ink setting and the defined set color deviation with regard to the respective target value in the wet condition of the printing substrate by a color measuring device; and taking color measurements of the dried printing substrate using the color measuring device. The measured color values established in the dry state and the original of the test form in a computer are compared. The ink setting that belongs to the ink zone with the smallest deviation from the intended target color is used as the target ink setting for the printing process.

A method sets the inking in a printing press with multiple ink zones in an inking unit of a printing unit. The method includes: printing a test form onto a printing substrate with an intentional pre-defined color deviation from the intended target color; correcting the previously set ink setting and the defined set color deviation with regard to the respective target value in the wet condition of the printing substrate by a color measuring device; and taking color measurements of the dried printing substrate using the color measuring device. The measured color values established in the dry state and the original of the test form in a computer are compared. The ink setting that belongs to the ink zone with the smallest deviation from the intended target color is used as the target ink setting for the printing process.

A fluid distribution device, for applying a fluid onto a transfer roller, includes an elongated chamber, at least one inlet for letting a fluid into the chamber, a longitudinal opening extending in the axial direction and adapted to face a transfer roller to allow fluid to exit the chamber and contact the transfer roller, and at least one wiper blade extending along at least a portion of the longitudinal opening. The chamber includes, at each of the two axial ends of the chamber, a wall separating the chamber from a cavity. The wall has a wall surface arranged to face the transfer roller when the device is in use. The wall is dimensioned so that the wall surface will be distanced from the transfer roller when the device is in use, so as to allow fluid to be present in a gap between the wall surface and the transfer roller.

A fluid distribution device, for applying a fluid onto a transfer roller, includes an elongated chamber, at least one inlet for letting a fluid into the chamber, a longitudinal opening extending in the axial direction and adapted to face a transfer roller to allow fluid to exit the chamber and contact the transfer roller, and at least one wiper blade extending along at least a portion of the longitudinal opening. The chamber includes, at each of the two axial ends of the chamber, a wall separating the chamber from a cavity. The wall has a wall surface arranged to face the transfer roller when the device is in use. The wall is dimensioned so that the wall surface will be distanced from the transfer roller when the device is in use, so as to allow fluid to be present in a gap between the wall surface and the transfer roller.

An ink tray insert is adapted to be inserted into a conventional ink tray in a printing system. The ink tray insert includes a bottom surface having an outer profile that substantially conforms to an inner profile of a bottom surface of the conventional ink tray, and left and right side walls that extend upwards from left and right edges of the bottom surface, respectively. Bearing saddles are mounted on the left and right side walls adapted to receive bearings mounted on a shaft of a fountain roller, the ink tray insert being adapted to supply ink to the fountain roller in an ink transfer zone. A cross-track width of the ink tray insert between the left and right side walls is less than a cross-track width of the conventional ink tray.