Disclosed herein are sacrificial coating compositions comprising at least one hydrophilic polymer; at least one hygroscopic agent; at least one surfactant; at least one non-reactive silicone release agent; and water. In certain embodiments, the at least one non-reactive silicone release agent is chosen from polyether modified polysiloxane and nonreactive silicone glycol copolymers. In certain embodiments, the at least one non-reactive silicone release agent may be present in an amount ranging from about 0.001% to about 2%, based on the total weight of the composition, such as from about 0.03% to about 0.06%. Also disclosed herein is a blanket material suitable for transfix printing comprising a sacrificial coating composition, as well as an indirect printing process comprising a step of applying a sacrificial coating composition to a blanket material.

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.

Provided is a highly reliable ink jet recording apparatus capable of preventing the occurrence of image defects. The ink jet recording apparatus includes a liquid absorbing device including a porous body configured to absorb/remove an aqueous liquid component from an image containing the aqueous liquid component and a coloring material, a heat drying device configured to perform a heat drying treatment of the image after being subjected to the liquid absorption treatment, a temperature measuring device configured to measure the temperature of the image after being subjected to the heat drying treatment with the heat drying device, and a determination unit configured to determine the state of the liquid absorbing device from the measured temperature.

A transfer type ink jet recording method including an image forming step of forming an image including an aqueous liquid component and a coloring material on an image forming surface of a transfer body, the image forming surface being formed of a water-repellent porous body; a transfer step of transferring the image from the transfer body onto a recording medium; a wetting treatment step of performing a wetting treatment by applying a wetting liquid whose contact angle with respect to the image forming surface is less than 90° onto the image forming surface before the image forming step; and a liquid absorbing step of absorbing at least part of the aqueous liquid component from the image formed in the image forming step by using the porous body in at least one of a period between the image forming step and the transfer step and a period in the transfer step.

An ink jet recording method includes an absorption/removal treatment of an aqueous liquid component by using a porous body from an image formed by using an ink and a reaction liquid that increases the viscosity of the ink. The ink contains at least two or more types of particles having different particle diameters, and the particles having different particle diameters satisfy the expressions (1) and (2):

D1/D2≦0.5  (1)

0.2≦M1/M2  (2).

A method and system for producing reliefs on substrates by digital inkjet printing of drops of a relief material which is deposited on localized areas of the surface of a substrate to obtain a relief surface with a relief determined by the relief material deposited, a coating sheet being incorporated over the relief material deposited, which conforms to said relief surface, the coating sheet being fixed by gluing by means of a glue which is applied together or in combination with the relief material.

A transport device includes a transport unit that transports a sheet-like transport material without holding a one-end-side portion of the transport material in a transport direction; and a blowing unit that blows air against a lower surface of the transport material that is transported by the transport unit via multiple blowing holes that open with respect to the lower surface, an arrangement interval of the multiple blowing holes in a direction of intersection with respect to the transport direction being smaller at two end portions than at a central portion of the blowing unit.

A heating device includes a heating unit that heats in a non-contact manner an upper surface of a transport material that is transported, and a blowing unit that blows air against a lower surface of the transport material via a blowing hole that is provided in an opposing surface opposing the lower surface of the transport material, the opposing surface being obliquely disposed with respect to a horizontal direction.

A method for producing a porous body for use in an ink jet recording apparatus including an image forming unit configured to form a first image including a first liquid and a coloring material on an ink receiving medium, and a liquid absorbing member including the porous body that contacts with the first image to absorb part of the first liquid from the first image. The method includes laminating a first porous layer that contacts with the first image and includes a first resin, and a second and a third porous layer including a second and a third resin; and heating the laminated first to third porous layers, wherein the second porous layer has a void when viewed in a thickness direction, and softening temperatures T1 through T3 of the first to third resins and heating temperature T in heating the first to third porous layers satisfy T2<T, T<T1, T<T3.

An ink jet recording apparatus including an image forming unit configured to form a first image containing a first liquid and a coloring material on an ink receiving medium; a liquid absorbing member including a porous body that comes into contact with the first image, the porous body being configured to absorb at least a part of the first liquid from the first image; and a plurality of pressure applying units configured to press the first image on the ink receiving medium by porous body. The plurality of pressure applying units include a first pressure applying unit configured to press the first image at a first pressure and a second pressure applying unit configured to press the first image having been pressed by the first pressure applying unit at a second pressure higher than the first pressure.