An intermediate roller positioned between a fountain solution vapor supply and an imaging member decouples fountain solution vapor deposition from the surface of the imaging member. The intermediate roller may be temperature controlled. A uniform layer of fountain solution condenses onto the surface of the temperature controlled intermediate roller regardless of the imaging blanket temperature. The fountain solution condensate layer deposited onto the intermediate roller splits and deposits a thin uniform layer of fountain solution liquid onto the imaging member surface. This liquid layer split may be independent of the temperature of the imaging member surface, resulting in a uniform layer of fountain solution on the imaging blanket for better imaging quality. Remotely locating the vaporizing chamber away from the imaging member prevents undesired heat transfer from a hot vaporizing chamber/baffle to the imaging member surface.

Ink-based digital printing systems useful for ink printing include a photoreceptor layer configured to receive a layer of liquid immersion fluid. The liquid immersion fluid includes dampening fluid, dispersed gas particles, and charge directors that impart charge to the solid particles. The photoreceptor surface is charged to a uniform potential, and selectively discharged using an ROS according to image data to form an electrostatic latent image. The charged liquid immersion fluid adheres to portions of the photoreceptor surface according to the electrostatic latent image to form a fountain solution image. The fluid portion of the fountain solution image can be partially transferred to an imaging member and/or transfer member to form a dampening fluid image, either or both of which may be electrically biased. The dampening fluid image is inked on the transfer member, and the resulting ink image transferred to a print substrate.

Ink-based digital printing systems useful for ink printing include a photoreceptor layer configured to receive a layer of liquid immersion fluid. The liquid immersion fluid includes dampening fluid, dispersed gas particles, and charge directors that impart charge to the solid particles. The photoreceptor surface is charged to a uniform potential, and selectively discharged using an ROS according to image data to form an electrostatic latent image. The charged liquid immersion fluid adheres to portions of the photoreceptor surface according to the electrostatic latent image to form a fountain solution image. The fluid portion of the fountain solution image can be partially transferred to an imaging member and/or transfer member to form a dampening fluid image, either or both of which may be electrically biased. The dampening fluid image is inked on the transfer member, and the resulting ink image transferred to a print substrate.

A cleaning subsystem for a variable data lithography system includes a cleaning roller train having a cleaning member in physical contact with an imaging member such that residual ink remaining on the imaging member, such as following transfer of an inked latent image from the imaging member to a substrate, adheres to the cleaning member through cohesion and is thereby removed from the imaging member. The cleaning roller train uses the ink-splitting mechanics to remove, transport and collect the ink waste. The key cleaning roller train is a thin but uniform layer of ink on the cleaning member that contacts the imaging member causing removal on the residual ink through cohesion.

A cleaning subsystem for a variable data lithography system includes a cleaning roller train having a cleaning member in physical contact with an imaging member such that residual ink remaining on the imaging member, such as following transfer of an inked latent image from the imaging member to a substrate, adheres to the cleaning member through cohesion and is thereby removed from the imaging member. The cleaning roller train uses the ink-splitting mechanics to remove, transport and collect the ink waste. The key cleaning roller train is a thin but uniform layer of ink on the cleaning member that contacts the imaging member causing removal on the residual ink through cohesion.

Ink-based digital printing systems useful for ink printing include a photoreceptor layer configured to receive a layer of liquid immersion fluid. The liquid immersion fluid includes dampening fluid, dispersed gas particles, and charge directors that impart charge to the solid particles. The photoreceptor surface is charged to a uniform potential, and selectively discharged using an ROS according to image data to form an electrostatic latent image. The charged liquid immersion fluid adheres to portions of the photoreceptor surface according to the electrostatic latent image to form a fountain solution image. The fluid portion of the fountain solution image can be partially transferred to an imaging member and/or transfer member to form a dampening fluid image, either or both of which may be electrically biased. The dampening fluid image is inked on the transfer member, and the resulting ink image transferred to a print substrate.

Ink-based digital printing systems useful for ink printing include a photoreceptor layer configured to receive a layer of liquid immersion fluid. The liquid immersion fluid includes dampening fluid, dispersed gas particles, and charge directors that impart charge to the solid particles. The photoreceptor surface is charged to a uniform potential, and selectively discharged using an ROS according to image data to form an electrostatic latent image. The charged liquid immersion fluid adheres to portions of the photoreceptor surface according to the electrostatic latent image to form a fountain solution image. The fluid portion of the fountain solution image can be partially transferred to an imaging member and/or transfer member to form a dampening fluid image, either or both of which may be electrically biased. The dampening fluid image is inked on the transfer member, and the resulting ink image transferred to a print substrate.

An image based correction system compensates for the image quality artifacts induced by thermal ghosting on evolving imaging member surfaces. With thermal ghosting directly tied to previous image content, a feed forward system determines thermal ghosting artifacts based on images previously rendered and generates an open loop gray-level correction to a current image that mitigates undesirable ghosting. For example, the correction system compensates for the thermal ghosting by making the current image lighter in areas that will be imaged onto warmer blanket regions, thereby cancelling out TRC differences between different temperature regions. A temperature sensor is used to measure the temperature of the imaging blanket due to the stresses induced by the image. This data is used to learn the parameters of the temperature model periodically during operation, and used in subsequent corrections to mitigate thermal ghosting in spite of changes in blanket properties over use and time.

The present disclosure relates to a print process in which ink is transferred as a thin layer to a thin polymeric substrate and then the non-image areas of the polymeric substrate are laser-cured. After the curing of the non-imaged area the remaining ink (non-cured ink) undergoes complete transfer to a print-media-of-interest forming the digital print.

The present disclosure relates to a print process in which ink is transferred as a thin layer to a thin polymeric substrate and then the non-image areas of the polymeric substrate are laser-cured. After the curing of the non-imaged area the remaining ink (non-cured ink) undergoes complete transfer to a print-media-of-interest forming the digital print.