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).

A device (3000) for loading fluid into nozzle(s) of a nozzle-bearing body (3070) includes a first member (3010), having a first surface (3016), and a second member (3020) protruding from the first member (3010). The second member (3020) has second and third surfaces (3028, 3026), the second surface (3028) extending from the first surface (3016) at an angle. The first surface (3016) substantially complements the shape of the nozzle-bearing body's surface (3070). The device (3000) has a recess (3023) defined therein at least in part by the first and second surfaces (3016, 3028). When the device (3000) is placed into a working configuration with the nozzle-bearing body (3070), a tangent to the third surface (3026), in a region of the third surface (3026) proximate to where the second surface (3028) meets the third surface (3026), is substantially parallel to a tangent to the first surface (3016), in a region of the first surface (3016) where the first surface (3016) meets the second surface (3028), wherein, the recess (3023) forms a pocket for receiving the fluid.

In some examples, an ink feed system for providing and feeding printing ink to an inking unit of an intaglio printing unit includes an inking device in the inking unit for inking a first inking unit cylinder. A provision device includes a storage receptacle with an ink reservoir of printing ink that is fed via an outlet and a line to the inking device. Furthermore, a wall of the storage receptacle encompassing the outlet can be heated and/or a metering device may be provided in the line path to support and/or effectuate delivery of the printing ink from the storage receptacle. On an output side, the metering device may provide a mass flow or volume flow that correlates with a working speed of the metering device via a defined relationship, and the metering device may be connected to a control device to control the working speed of the metering device.

A formative surface having a conductive base covered with a dielectric and oleophobic/hydrophobic surface layer is created with defined pits to grow micro-puddles of a defined volume. The formative surface is brought into close proximity with a charge retentive surface carrying a charge image. Fountain solution vapor nucleates and grows preferentially on the base of the pits as micro-puddle droplets. The puddles are charged and extracted from the surface to provide a fog of charged droplets of narrow volume and charge distribution. The charged droplets are attracted and repelled respectively from the charged and discharged image regions of the charge retentive surface, thus developing the charged image into a fountain solution latent image. The developed latent image is then brought into contact with a transfer member blanket and split, thus creating on the blanket a fountain solution latent image ready for inking.

A formative surface having a conductive base covered with a dielectric and oleophobic/hydrophobic surface layer is created with defined pits to grow micro-puddles of a defined volume. The formative surface is brought into close proximity with a charge retentive surface carrying a charge image. Fountain solution vapor nucleates and grows preferentially on the base of the pits as micro-puddle droplets. The puddles are charged and extracted from the surface to provide a fog of charged droplets of narrow volume and charge distribution. The charged droplets are attracted and repelled respectively from the charged and discharged image regions of the charge retentive surface, thus developing the charged image into a fountain solution latent image. The developed latent image is then brought into contact with a transfer member blanket and split, thus creating on the blanket a fountain solution latent image ready for inking.

Ink-based digital printing systems useful for ink printing include a secondary roller having a rotatable reimageable surface layer configured to receive fountain solution. The fountain solution layer is patterned on the secondary roller and then partially transferred to an imaging blanket, where the fountain solution image is inked. The resulting ink image may be transferred to a print substrate. To achieve a very high-resolution (e.g., 1200-dpi, over 900-dpi) print with these secondary roller configurations, an equivalent very high-resolution fountain solution image needs to be transferred from the secondary roller onto the imaging blanket. To increase the resolution of the image on the secondary roller, examples include a textured surface layer added to the secondary roller for contact angle pinning the fountain solution on the roll. Approaches to introduce a micro-structure onto the surface layer of the secondary roller, and also superoleophobic surface coatings are described.

Ink-based digital printing systems useful for ink printing include a secondary roller having a rotatable reimageable surface layer configured to receive fountain solution. The fountain solution layer is patterned on the secondary roller and then partially transferred to an imaging blanket, where the fountain solution image is inked. The resulting ink image may be transferred to a print substrate. To achieve a very high-resolution (e.g., 1200-dpi, over 900-dpi) print with these secondary roller configurations, an equivalent very high-resolution fountain solution image needs to be transferred from the secondary roller onto the imaging blanket. To increase the resolution of the image on the secondary roller, examples include a textured surface layer added to the secondary roller for contact angle pinning the fountain solution on the roll. Approaches to introduce a micro-structure onto the surface layer of the secondary roller, and also superoleophobic surface coatings are described.

Based on evaporation of fountain solution from a rotating blanket cylinder to create an image that may be inked and printed, a digitally addressable heater array at or just below the blanket surface evaporates deposited fountain solution and forms a fountain solution latent image on the surface. The heater array has controllable heating elements (e.g., field effect transistors, thin film transistors) that provide a transient heat pattern on the surface to evaporate the fountain solution. Heat is generated by current flow in the heating elements, and power developed by the heating circuit is the product of source-drain voltage and current in the channel. Current may be supplied along data lines by an external voltage controlled by digital electronics to provide the desired heat at heating elements addressed by a specific gate line. The heater array may include a current return line that may be a 2-dimensional mesh.

Based on evaporation of fountain solution from a rotating blanket cylinder to create an image that may be inked and printed, a digitally addressable heater array at or just below the blanket surface evaporates deposited fountain solution and forms a fountain solution latent image on the surface. The heater array has controllable heating elements (e.g., field effect transistors, thin film transistors) that provide a transient heat pattern on the surface to evaporate the fountain solution. Heat is generated by current flow in the heating elements, and power developed by the heating circuit is the product of source-drain voltage and current in the channel. Current may be supplied along data lines by an external voltage controlled by digital electronics to provide the desired heat at heating elements addressed by a specific gate line. The heater array may include a current return line that may be a 2-dimensional mesh.

Fountain solution latent images are provided on an inking blanket without using laser-induced evaporation systems. Approaches include a rotatable charge retentive surface configured to receive an unfused toned electrostatic pattern of toner particles adhered thereto via electrophotography. The toner includes small diameter polymeric or inorganic particles that may have no color pigment to appear transparent or translucent. Fountain solution is disposed on at least one of the toner, the charge retentive surface and a transfer substrate. The transfer substrate is adjacent the charge retentive surface and forms a nip therebetween, with the transfer substrate sandwiching the unfused toned electrostatic pattern of toner particles and fountain solution against the charge retentive surface at the nip. Fountain solution sandwiched between the surfaces splits as the surfaces separate downstream the nip, leaving a fountain solution latent image remaining on the transfer member surface based on the electrostatic charged pattern on the charge retentive surface.