A method for creating a printed product includes providing a printing substrate, providing a first fluid, applying the first fluid to the printing substrate as a first layer, providing an effect fluid as a second fluid, the effect fluid including a carrier fluid and platelet-shaped effect pigments, and applying the effect fluid to the printing substrate as a second layer, the second layer forming an effect layer. The first layer is created as a duct layer having a multiplicity of ducts. The ducts allow at least a portion of the carrier fluid of the effect fluid to pass through or enter, and the ducts substantially do not allow the effect pigments of the effect fluid to pass through or enter. This provides a cost-efficient and advantageous way of creating high-quality printed products with top quality finish and special effects having improved impact of the special effects.

A method for creating a printed product includes providing a printing substrate, providing a first fluid, applying the first fluid to the printing substrate as a first layer, providing an effect fluid as a second fluid, the effect fluid including a carrier fluid and platelet-shaped effect pigments, and applying the effect fluid to the printing substrate as a second layer, the second layer forming an effect layer. The first layer is created as a duct layer having a multiplicity of ducts. The ducts allow at least a portion of the carrier fluid of the effect fluid to pass through or enter, and the ducts substantially do not allow the effect pigments of the effect fluid to pass through or enter. This provides a cost-efficient and advantageous way of creating high-quality printed products with top quality finish and special effects having improved impact of the special effects.

There is disclosed a selective wetting apparatus comprising a roller rotatable about a roller axis and comprising a wettable roller surface; an applicator unit having a lip which extends parallel to the roller axis and is radially spaced apart from the roller surface by a gap, wherein the applicator unit is to convey liquid agent towards the roller so that the liquid agent forms a liquid bridge over the gap to wet a wetted axial portion of the roller surface; and a flow guide to direct a gas flow into a regulated axial portion of the gap to locally prevent formation of a liquid bridge, and thereby prevent wetting of a corresponding axial portion of the roller surface.

There is disclosed a selective wetting apparatus comprising a roller rotatable about a roller axis and comprising a wettable roller surface; an applicator unit having a lip which extends parallel to the roller axis and is radially spaced apart from the roller surface by a gap, wherein the applicator unit is to convey liquid agent towards the roller so that the liquid agent forms a liquid bridge over the gap to wet a wetted axial portion of the roller surface; and a flow guide to direct a gas flow into a regulated axial portion of the gap to locally prevent formation of a liquid bridge, and thereby prevent wetting of a corresponding axial portion of the roller surface.

A printing press for printing on metal cans includes a plurality of inkers. Each inker prints a different color ink on the cans, and includes a first module, a second module, a roller and a support member. The first module has motors to drive output shafts. The second module has ink displacement units, an ink inlet to provide ink to the ink displacement units, ink channels to transfer ink from the ink displacement units to ink outlets of the second module and input shafts to removably couple to the output shafts of the first module. The roller receives ink from the ink displacement units and transfers the ink toward the cans. The support member supports the first and second modules in at least one position relative to the roller. The support member facilitates removal of the second module by a press operator for cleaning the ink channels.

A device for setting at least one operating parameter of ink for a printing process of a rotary printing press having an inking system which has a doctor blade device with a doctor blade chamber containing the ink for the printing process, and an ink reservoir from which ink can be supplied to the doctor blade chamber, includes a supply system which allows ink to be supplied inside the inking system. The supply system can be switched to a setting mode (I) or to a production mode (II), the operating parameter being automatically set in the setting mode (I) and no ink being supplied to the doctor blade chamber, and the supply system supplying ink to the doctor blade chamber in the production mode (II).

A device for setting at least one operating parameter of ink for a printing process of a rotary printing press having an inking system which has a doctor blade device with a doctor blade chamber containing the ink for the printing process, and an ink reservoir from which ink can be supplied to the doctor blade chamber, includes a supply system which allows ink to be supplied inside the inking system. The supply system can be switched to a setting mode (I) or to a production mode (II), the operating parameter being automatically set in the setting mode (I) and no ink being supplied to the doctor blade chamber, and the supply system supplying ink to the doctor blade chamber in the production mode (II).

A heating circuit having an array of switching heating elements (e.g., field effect transistors, thin film transistors) provides a transient heat pattern over a surface (e.g., substrate, imaging member surface, transfer roll surface) moving relative to the heating circuit, to produce a pixelated heat image and heat a target pattern on the surface. Heat is generated by current flow in the heating elements, and the power developed by the heating circuit is the product of source-drain voltage and current in the channel. Digital addressing may accomplished by matrix addressing the array. Current may be supplied along data address lines by an external voltage controlled by digital electronics understood by a skilled artisan to provide the desired heat at a respective heating element pixels addressed by a specific gate line. The circuit may include a current return line that may be low resistance, for example, by using a 2-dimensional mesh.

Offset print apparatus comprises a blanket arranged in a closed loop around a plurality of rollers. Each of the plurality of rollers is rotatable about a respective roller axis to support and convey the blanket around the closed loop. The plurality of rollers comprises: a primary steering roller rotatable about a primary roller axis and being pivotable about a primary steering axis perpendicular to the primary roller axis; and a secondary steering roller rotatable about a secondary roller axis and being pivotable about a secondary steering axis perpendicular to the secondary roller axis. The primary and secondary steering rollers are each independently pivotable. The offset print apparatus further comprises an actuator to actuate pivoting of the primary steering roller and the secondary steering roller.

An ink supply system (10) comprises an ink chamber (12); an ink line (14) with a Venturi nozzle (16), wherein the ink chamber (12) has an inlet (18), which is connected to the ink line (14) upstream of the Venturi nozzle (16), and an outlet (24), which is connected to the suction side of the Venturi nozzle (16); an ink reservoir (30) from which the ink is transferred by a pump (28) to the inlet (18) and into the ink line (32); and an ink return line (32), which connects the downstream end of the Venturi nozzle (16) with the ink reservoir (30).