According to aspects of the embodiments, there is provided a method of measuring the amount of fountain solution employed in a digital offset lithography printing system. Fountain solution thickness is measured using a glass roll at a lower temperature than the fountain solution. The lower temperature causes the fountain solution to undergo a change in state and in a solid state the fountain solution crystalizes and changes roll opacity with the thickness of the film. When radiated with a light source the opacity is continuously measured through the surface of the roller. The thickness of the crystallized fountain solution can then be determined via the opacity level increase by the crystallization and the impact to the opacity on the glass roll.

Apparatus for producing three-dimensional screen-printed workpieces, in particular 3D screen printing machine, with a printing device for the layer-by-layer production of at least one screen-printed workpiece in a plurality of printing operations and with at least one workpiece carrier for at least one screen-printed workpiece, wherein the printing device has at least one printing table plate being formed separately from the workpiece carrier and on which the workpiece carrier can be positioned for carrying out a printing process, and wherein the workpiece carrier is, between two successive printing processes for a screen-printed workpiece, detachable from the printing table plate for drying the screen-printed workpiece.

In some examples, a conditioner system for a media printed by a printing system includes a media conditioning assembly comprising a heater, the media conditioning assembly to receive the media printed by the printing system after the media has been heated by a dryer in the printing system after printing has occurred on the media. Responsive to a determined moisture content of the media, the heater of the media conditioning assembly controls a temperature of the media, and the media conditioning assembly controls a speed of the media through the media conditioning assembly.

The invention relates to a device for producing security elements (03) on a substrate (02), said device having a first printing couple (21; 22), by means of which substrate (02) being conveyed along a transport path is and/or can be printed with a plurality of first print image elements (12) spaced apart from one another using a first coating medium (11) that contains magnetic particles; a first magnetic cylinder (41), arranged downstream of the first printing couple (21; 22) in the transport path and comprising magnetic elements (43) on its outer circumference; a second magnetic cylinder (42), arranged downstream of the first magnetic cylinder (41) in the transport path and likewise comprising magnetic elements (43) on its outer circumference; and a drying and/or curing device (52), associated with or positioned downstream of the second magnetic cylinder (42) in the transport path, by means of which at least the coating medium (13) of a plurality of second print image elements (14), printed onto the substrate (02) and spaced apart from one another, is and/or can be dried and/or cured at least superficially and/or at least each partially, wherein in the transport path between the first and the second magnetic cylinder (41; 42) a second printing couple (31; 32) is provided, by means of which the substrate (02) is and/or can be printed with the spaced-apart second print image elements (14; 12) using the second coating medium (13) that contains magnetic particles, and wherein a drying and/or curing device (51) positioned upstream of the second printing couple (31; 32) is associated with or positioned downstream of the first magnetic cylinder (41) in the transport path, by means of which device the coating medium (11) containing magnetic particles of the first print image elements (12) printed by the first printing couple (21; 22) is and/or can be dried and/or cured at least superficially and/or at least each partially.

A machine arrangement sequentially processes sheet-like substrates with multiple different processing stations each having a substrate-guiding unit and a substrate-processing unit. At least one of the processing stations has, as a substrate-processing unit, at least one non-impact printing device which prints on the substrate. The processing station with the at least one non-impact printing device has a printing cylinder. Each non-impact printing device is arranged at the circumference of the printing cylinder. The printing cylinder is triple-sized or quadruple-sized. A double-sized or a triple-sized transfer drum, or a corresponding feed cylinder, is arranged directly upstream of this printing cylinder. Alternatively, a double-sized or a triple-sized transfer drum, or a corresponding transfer cylinder, is arranged directly downstream of this printing cylinder.

A conditioner includes a pressure roller assembly, a tension roller assembly, a heating element, a pressure roller drive motor, a tension drive motor, and a controller. The heating element heats the pressure roller assembly. The pressure roller drive motor rotates the pressure roller assembly. The tension drive motor rotates the tension roller assembly. The controller receives a print job complete notification to initiate a conditioner shutdown. In response to the print job complete notification, the controller turns off the tension drive motor. The controller sets the heating element to a predetermined temperature and waits a first predetermined period. In response to the first predetermined period elapsing, the controller turns off the heating element. With the heating element turned off, the controller turns off the pressure roller drive motor.

A machine arrangement sequentially processes sheet-like substrates with multiple different processing stations each having a substrate-guiding unit and a substrate-processing unit. At least one of the processing stations has, as a substrate-processing unit, at least one non-impact printing device which prints on the substrate. The processing station with the at least one non-impact printing device has a printing cylinder. Each non-impact printing device is arranged at the circumference of the printing cylinder. The printing cylinder is triple-sized or quadruple-sized. A double-sized or a triple-sized transfer drum, or a corresponding feed cylinder, is arranged directly upstream of this printing cylinder. Alternatively, a double-sized or a triple-sized transfer drum, or a corresponding transfer cylinder, is arranged directly downstream of this printing cylinder.

A press assembly has a plurality of processing stations for the processing of sheets. These processing stations are arranged in succession in a transport direction of the sheets for inline processing of the sheets. At least one of these processing stations is a non-impact printing unit and at least one processing station downstream of the non-impact printing unit is embodied as a dryer. At least one additional processing station is embodied as a coating unit. The coating unit is configured for applying a coating in a form of a varnish to each sheet. A plurality of individually controlled, non-impact printing units are arranged along the transport path of the sheets. Each of the plurality of non-impact printing units is configured as an ink jet printer.

A sheet-fed printing unit has a first impression cylinder and a second impression cylinder, which are arranged directly and interactingly in contact and which each have an axis of rotation. An axial plane contains the axes of rotation. A reference plane is a plane which contains an axis of rotation of a cylinder of this type and has a horizontal surface normal. These two cylinders are arranged such that an intersection angle between the axial plane and the reference plane is a maximum of 15. A transport path is provided for a transportation of sheets, which transport path has a region for the respective impression cylinder in which there is contact between sheets and a casing surface. This region of the transport path for the respective impression cylinder extends over an angular range of at least 270. A sheet-fed printing machine has a sheet-fed printing unit of this type.

A sheet-fed printing machine comprises two sheet-fed printing units; of which a first is configured as a sheet-fed simultaneous printing unit and has two collector cylinders, which interact with one another and each have an axis of rotation. An axial plane contains the axes of rotation of the collector cylinders. A reference plane contains an axis of rotation of this type and has a horizontal surface normal. An intersection angle between the axial plane and the reference plane is, at a maximum, 45 degrees. A first one of the sheet-fed simultaneous printing units has exactly four plate cylinders, of which exactly two are arranged such that they directly interact with the first collector cylinder and has exactly two others which are arranged such that they directly interact with the second collector cylinder. A second sheet-fed printing unit has at least one impression cylinder and at least one plate cylinder, which is arranged such that it directly interacts with the impression cylinder and which is configured a screen printing plate cylinder, or as a flexo plate cylinder or as a numbering plate cylinder. The two collector cylinders of the first printing unit and the impression cylinder of the second printing unit have the same circumference.