Methods for printing using printing systems comprising a flexible intermediate transfer member (ITM) disposed around a plurality of guide rollers at which encoders are installed, and an image-forming station at which ink images are formed by droplet deposition by print bars onto the ITM, can include measuring a local velocity of the ITM under one of the print bars, determining a stretch factor for a portion of the ITM based on a relationship between an estimated stretched length fixed physical distance between print bars, controlling an ink deposition parameter according to the stretch factor so as to compensate for stretching of the reference portion of the ITM.

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.

An image recording method including the steps of forming an image by applying an ink to an ink receiving member and applying a treatment liquid containing an ink-viscosity-increasing component to the ink receiving medium so as to overlap with at least a part of a region of the ink receiving medium to which the ink is applied. The treatment liquid contains a surfactant which lowers a surface tension of water to 25 mN/m or less when added into the water in an amount of 0.1% by mass; and an additive containing at least one compound selected from the group consisting of compounds represented by general formulae (1) to (4):

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A spectral colorimetric apparatus comprises a light source, a spectral element, a light receiving element, a substrate on which the light receiving element is mounted, a housing and a pressing portion. The housing has a first side wall on which the substrate is fixed and a second side wall on which the spectral element is fixed. The pressing portion pinches the spectral element together with the second side wall and presses the spectral element to the second side wall.

A decorating machine particularly for the decoration of ceramic products, and a method for realizing a belt for decorating said ceramic products, wherein the machine comprises: a closed loop belt (3) for the transfer of a decoration (9) on a receiving surface (11) of a ceramic product; a plurality of conveyor rollers (2) about which said belt (3) is wound and moved in rotation; at least one of said conveyor rollers (2) comprises a central portion (12) and two end portions (14) opposite one another, at least one of said end portions (14) being free in rotation with respect to the other said portions (12, 14).

A method of manufacturing a pattern includes providing a pattern of a first liquid on a medium, applying a powder material to the provided pattern, and providing a second liquid to the powder material applied to the first liquid.

A sacrificial coating composition for an image transfer member in an aqueous ink imaging system. The sacrificial coating composition includes a latex having polymer particles dispersed in a continuous liquid phase; at least one hygroscopic material; at least one surfactant; and water.

An inkjet recording apparatus includes an ink jetter that jets ink and a transfer unit that has a ring-shaped intermediate transfer body. The transfer unit transfers, to a recording medium, a primary image formed on an outer circumferential surface of the intermediate transfer body with the ink that is jetted to land on the outer circumferential surface by the ink jetter. The transfer unit includes a heater that heats air in an internal space of the intermediate transfer body enclosed by an inner circumferential surface of the intermediate transfer body, and an air mover that flows the air in the internal space.

A container body decorator (10) has a controller with a software stored in a memory. A plurality of ink jet print heads (108) is in communication with the controller. An endless image transfer belt (116) has a circumferential configuration with an inner surface opposite a printing surface. A printing site (124) is located along the endless image transfer belt (116). A container body handling module (200) delivers container bodies (14) to the printing site (124).

A method of recording an image on a recording medium by applying an auxiliary liquid containing a water-soluble resin and wax particles to an intermediate image formed on an intermediate transfer member, bringing the intermediate image into contact with the recording medium at a temperature higher than a melting point of the wax particles, subsequently peeling off the intermediate image from the intermediate transfer member at a temperature lower than the melting point of the wax particles and transferring the intermediate image onto the recording medium. The method can improve the efficiency of transferring the intermediate image from the intermediate transfer member onto the recording medium.