In a forward movement, an article is conveyed to a printing device via a transfer position while being kept mounted in a first holder for printing by the printing device. The article is returned to the transfer position together with the first holder after printing. An article to be printed after the above article is mounted into a second holder in parallel with at least a part of the forward movement, the printing and a return movement. This is capable of printing on the articles in a short throughput time also when the articles are those having a three-dimensional shape such as bottles and in-vehicle components.

Recess printing units are usable for printing on a substrate and using associated methods for operation. The recess printing units comprise an intaglio printing cylinder, which provides an image-forming pattern of recesses on its circumference; and an inking unit for applying ink to the pattern of recesses that are provided on the intaglio printing cylinder. The inking unit comprises a first inking unit cylinder which has, in a region of its lateral surface, recesses corresponding to the recesses in the intaglio printing cylinder and to which recesses ink can be supplied by an ink application device in the region of an application point lying on the circumference of the first inking unit cylinder. A second inking unit cylinder cooperates with the first inking unit cylinder and has, in a region of the lateral surface of the second inking unit cylinder, elevations corresponding to recesses in the intaglio printing cylinder or raised regions corresponding to regions of the image-forming pattern of recesses on the intaglio printing cylinder, which regions comprise recesses. The ink application device also comprises, on at least a downstream side of the application point, with respect to the operating direction of rotation of the inking unit cylinder comprising the recesses, a retaining device in the form of a doctor blade or an ink knife. The second inking unit cylinder comprises, on a lateral surface thereof, elevations corresponding to engraving on the intaglio printing cylinder.

A gravure printing plate includes a convex portion and two or more polygonal cells partitioned by the convex portion, and including at least one protruding portion disposed at an edge of each of the at least two polygonal cells and extending toward a central portion of the corresponding cell therefrom.

A doctor blade (100), in particular for doctoring off printing ink from an impression cylinder, comprises a doctor blade body (110) with a working edge (130) and a first doctor blade side (122) which faces the impression cylinder, in particular, during operation, and a second doctor blade side (121) which faces away from the impression cylinder, in particular, during operation. The doctor blade body (110) is provided with a coating (150) which comprises a polymer, wherein the coating (150) comprises particles (160) at least in one part region. The particles (160) are configured as hard material particles (160), and a mass proportion of the hard material particles (160) in the coating (150) on the first doctor blade side (122) is higher than a mass proportion of the hard material particles (160) in the coating (150) on the second doctor blade side (121).

The present invention relates to a gravure printing method of conducting printing on a printing substrate with an aqueous ink reserved in an ink pan using a furnisher roll, a gravure roll, a doctor blade and a nip roll, in which the aqueous ink contains a pigment, a polymer, an organic solvent, a surfactant and water; a content of organic solvent components of the organic solvent which have a boiling point of 100 to 260 C. in the aqueous ink is not less than 0.3% by mass and not more than 12% by mass; an average particle size of particles of the pigment is from 120 to 350 nm; and an arithmetic mean roughness (Ra) of a plate surface of the gravure roll is from 10 to 140 nm. According to the present invention, it is possible to improve transfer properties of the ink to the printing substrate such as a resin film, etc., and suppress fogging on the plate surface.

The present invention relates to a gravure printing method of conducting printing on a printing substrate with an aqueous ink reserved in an ink pan using a furnisher roll, a gravure roll, a doctor blade and a nip roll, in which the aqueous ink contains a pigment, a polymer, an organic solvent, a surfactant and water; a content of organic solvent components of the organic solvent which have a boiling point of 100 to 260 C. in the aqueous ink is not less than 0.3% by mass and not more than 12% by mass; an average particle size of particles of the pigment is from 120 to 350 nm; and an arithmetic mean roughness (Ra) of a plate surface of the gravure roll is from 10 to 140 nm. According to the present invention, it is possible to improve transfer properties of the ink to the printing substrate such as a resin film, etc., and suppress fogging on the plate surface.

The embodiments of the disclosure disclose a doctor-bar adjusting mechanism for a coater, including: a base bracket, an upper plate and a lower plate secured to the base bracket at two ends thereof, a side of a doctor-bar sandwiched between the upper plate and the lower plate, and an other side of the doctor-bar close to a surface of a roller of the coater; the upper plate further comprising an adjusting plate on an upper side thereof, the adjusting plate secured to the base bracket at ends thereof and including a plurality of adjusting devices thereon adapted for adjusting a spacing between the adjusting plate and the upper plate. The implementation of the embodiments of the disclosure may adjust conveniently a spacing between the doctor-bar and the roller and improve the maintenance efficiency and productivity of the coater.

A doctor (20), in particular for printing cylinders and coating systems, includes a doctor edge (21), a doctor body (22), and a curved blade profile (25) which is formed between the doctor edge (21) and the doctor body (22). In order to produce a doctor (20) which reduces the maintenance requirements of a gravure, flexographic, offset and/or digital printing machine and increases the service life of a doctor (20), according to the invention the extension of the curved blade profile (25) from the doctor edge (21) to the doctor body (22) is square or cuboid and/or the extension of the curved blade profile (25) from the doctor edge (21) to the doctor body (22) has at least one turning point (26).

The present invention concerns an inking for a flexographic or a rotogravure press. The inking system uses a very small amount of ink coupled with an ink source made of two tanks with two different inks. Thanks to feedback given by measuring the output directly on the printed support, the system mixes the ink in the optimal proportions to ensure an optimal printing quality at any time. It can compensate any effect due to environmental changes like the humidity or the temperature. This system, coupled with a seven colours press allows for the replacement of spot colours in most cases thereby saving times and costs.

The invention discloses an inking system for a rotary printing machine, like a flexographic or rotogravure press. The inking system uses the nip area between two cylinders of the machine as the sole source for inking the printing cylinder. This results in an inking system with very little ink, thereby gaining in reaction time and ink waste.