A printed product is produced by applying at least one colored and water-containing ink to image regions on a printing material in a drop-on-demand process, applying a substantially colorless and water-containing liquid a) to non-image regions and/or b) to image regions that have little ink in a drop-on-demand process and drying the printing material. In this case, the printing material has a coating with at least one acid. After applying ink and applying the liquid, a water-containing further liquid is applied both to image regions and to non-image regions of the printing material. The first-mentioned liquid and/or the further liquid contains at least one substance for at least partly neutralizing the acid. The undesired formation of crease waves or curls and glossiness fluctuations between varnished image areas and varnished non-image areas is thus advantageously avoided.

A digital print head, a digital printing machine having the head, and a method for digital printing on substrates using the head, the digital print head having an ejector for ejecting a product onto the substrate; a drying element for acting on the product ejected onto the substrate such that it is dried; and shielding element to prevent the ejected product from directly reaching the drying element by spray. Likewise, the drying element is located with respect to the ejector in such a way that when the product is ejected it may be subjected to the drying that may be provided by the drying element.

A system for printing at least one stretchable ink on a thermoformable substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, the system including an unwinder arranged to feed the thermoformable substrate from a first roll into a web drive subsystem, a surface energy modification device arranged to alter a substrate surface energy of the first surface to enhance wetting and adhesion of the at least one stretchable ink to the thermoformable substrate, at least one first full width printhead array arranged to deposit a first portion of the at least one stretchable ink on the first surface of the thermoformable substrate, at least one second full width printhead array arranged to deposit a second portion of the at least one stretchable ink on the first surface of the thermoformable substrate, at least one radiation pinning device positioned proximate the first surface and arranged to partially cure the first portion of the at least one stretchable ink on the thermoformable substrate prior to the second portion of the at least one stretchable ink being deposited on the thermoformable substrate, at least one radiation curing device arranged to cure the at least one stretchable ink on the thermoformable substrate, a full width array sensor arranged to monitor the at least one stretchable ink on the thermoformable substrate, and a rewinder arranged to receive the thermoformable substrate and to form the thermoformable substrate into a second roll.

A lamp array for drying liquid ink on a media in a printing apparatus. The printing apparatus includes a transport system arranged to move the media through the printing apparatus in a process direction. The lamp array includes at least one lamp having a longitudinal axis arranged in a direction parallel to the process direction and adjacent to the transport system.

The invention relates to an apparatus (1) for irradiating a substrate (2), which apparatus comprises a platform (4), which is straight or curved in relation to the longitudinal axis (3) of the platform (4), wherein one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten or more irradiation modules (6) and/or substrate supply air modules (36) and/or substrate exhaust air modules (37) are reversibly attachable directly or indirectly to the bottom side (8) of the platform (4) by sliding or inserting or mounting in one or more fixed or telescoping module attachment devices (10) provided on the bottom side (8) of the platform (4) - each extending from the front side (5) of the apparatus (1) and in the direction of the back side (9) of the apparatus (1).

A system for printing at least one stretchable ink on a thermoformable substrate including an unwinder arranged to feed the thermoformable substrate from a first roll into a web drive subsystem, a surface energy modification device arranged to alter a substrate surface energy to enhance wetting and adhesion of the at least one stretchable ink to the thermoformable substrate, at least one full width printhead array arranged to deposit the at least one stretchable ink on the thermoformable substrate, at least one radiation curing device arranged to cure the at least one stretchable ink on the thermoformable substrate, a full width array sensor arranged to monitor the at least one stretchable ink on the thermoformable substrate, and a rewinder arranged to receive the thermoformable substrate and to form the thermoformable substrate into a second roll.

A drying device includes a first heater, a second heater, a conveyance path, and an infrared heater. The first heater contacts and heats a medium on which liquid is applied. The second heater contacts and heats the medium. The second heater contacts the medium at a distance longer than a distance at which the first heater contacts the medium. The conveyance path of the medium includes a first conveyance-path portion and a second conveyance-path portion. The medium is conveyed while contacting the first heater in the first conveyance-path portion. The first conveyance-path portion is disposed upstream from the second heater in a direction of conveyance of the medium. The second conveyance-path portion is disposed downstream from the second heater in the direction of conveyance of the medium. The infrared heater is disposed in the second conveyance-path portion, to irradiate an infrared ray to the medium.

A conveying device includes a blower, a wind-permeable sheet material supporter, and a conveyor. The blower blows air toward a sheet material. The sheet material supporter supports a center region of the sheet material from a back side of a blown surface of the sheet material. The conveyor conveys the sheet material through a blowing region blown by the blower, while sandwiching an end region of the sheet material in a sheet-material width direction perpendicular to a sheet-material conveyance direction in which the sheet material is conveyed by the conveyor.

A medium heating device includes a heater that heats a medium, and a medium support member that supports a target heating portion, which is a portion that is heated by the heater in the medium, in which the medium support member has a first component portion that is formed so that a space is provided between the medium and the first component portion when the medium is supported, and a second component portion that is in contact with the medium when the medium is supported.

Examples described herein include method for calibrating LED modules in a curing engine. The method of calibrating UV curing modules includes receiving an uncured calibration image and initiating a curing operation that includes operating the curing modules according to a plurality of corresponding initial power level settings to apply radiant energy to the uncured calibration image to generate a cured calibration image. The method further includes receiving user input or information about an image characteristic of the cured calibration image from a user. The method then includes analyzing the user input to generate adjustments to the corresponding initial power level settings, and then applying the adjustments to the corresponding initial power level settings to generate a plurality of corresponding adjusted power level settings.