An apparatus (200) and method for preparing a cylindrical object having a protective surface coating, such as a necked can (100), for decorating thereon using a printing technique. According to the method, a primer is applied onto the surface coating, and the primer is then dried to form a surface for decorating the object. The apparatus comprises a priming station (260) for applying a primer onto said surface coating, and a drying station (270) for drying the primer.

A container body decorator (10) has a controller (300) with a software stored in a memory. A plurality of ink-jet printing heads (108) is in communication with the controller (300). A segmented image transfer blanket (116) has a circumferential configuration with an inner surface opposite a printing surface. A printing site (124) is located along the segmented image transfer blanket (116). A container body handling module (200) delivers container bodies to the printing site (124).

A container component decorating system has a decorating station (156), a container component handling module (102), a supply of colored inks, and inkjet printheads (124). The decorating station (156) delivers art graphics to container components (14) in a manufacturing queue (22). The inkjet printheads (124) comprise nozzles through which the colored inks are delivered. A flush cycle controller activated a flush cycle of the nozzles to deposit a flush cycle ink pattern (109) on a substrate to restore a meniscus (110) on the nozzles.

A liquid discharge device includes a liquid discharge head including nozzles configured to discharge a liquid, a carriage mounting the liquid discharge head and movable, a wiper configured to wipe a nozzle surface of the liquid discharge head, and a wiper mover configured to hold and move the wiper between a facing position at which the wiper faces the nozzle surface and a standby position at which the wiper does not face the nozzle surface. The carriage movably holds the liquid discharge head and the wiper mover as a single unit.

The invention relates to a device (10) for equipping containers (12), preferably with labels (44) or prints. The device has at least one equipping device (18, 20, 22, 23) for equipping containers (12) and a planar drive system (16) with a base element (30) and at least one movement device (32). The at least one movement device (32) has a container carrier (34) for holding a container (12). The at least one movement device (32) can be moved to the at least one equipping device (18, 20, 22, 23) by means of magnetic interaction with the base element (30) in order to equip the container (12) held in the container carrier (34). The device (10) can be used very flexibly.

A glass container has an outer glass surface with an inkjet printed image provided on the surface. A cold-end coating (CEC) with a thickness between 0 to 20 nm is present between the outer glass surface and the inkjet printed image. Such glass container is preferably a one-way beverage bottle. A method of inkjet printing an image on a glass container comprises the steps of (a) manufacturing a glass container having a CEC layer; (b) removing at least part of the CEC layer to a level wherein the remaining CEC layer has a thickness of 0 to 20 nm; and (c) inkjet printing an image on the glass container.

A method is disclosed for reducing the scatter of UV light during a final curing operation in the three-dimensional printing on the surface of transparent and semi-transparent media. The method precisely controls the movement of media during a final cure step in the printing of an expressed inkjet image on the surface of transparent media. The method also controls a number of factors during final curing operation such as the lateral movement of media under a final cure lamp, the number of rotations that media undergoes during final curing, the timely modulation of UV lamp power during final curing, and the selection of UV emitter segments positioned away from a inkjet print head to reduce the amount of potential UV radiation from impinging upon one or more of the adjacent printing heads.

A digital printing system includes a track and a plurality of print heads, wherein the system is configured to index a plurality of containers to or through a plurality of process locations. In embodiments, the track is configured to convey a plurality of containers to or through the plurality of process locations, and the plurality of print heads are configured for digital printing on the plurality of containers.

A method of printing on a plurality objects comprises arranging a first plurality of objects on a board having a flat upper surface, the first plurality of objects arranged on the board in a first configuration, and adhering a plurality of rail members to the flat upper surface of the board, the plurality of rail members arranged around a perimeter of each of the first plurality of objects to define borders for each of the first plurality of objects in the first configuration. The method further comprises positioning the board on a printer, printing on the first plurality of objects with the printer, and removing each of the first plurality of objects from the board. The method further comprises subsequently printing a second plurality of objects on the board.

A system for decorating multiple containers in a single manufacturing run has a decorator, which includes a source of ink and print site where an ink graphic is deposited to each container in a plurality of containers that make up a manufacturing queue. An inspection station is located downstream from the decorator. The inspection station performs an optical evaluation of a quality of a pattern of ink deposited on at least one container in the plurality of containers A closed-loop feedback is responsive to the inspection station wherein the decorator is automatically adjusted in response to the optical evaluation performed at the inspection station.