An apparatus is disclosed for coating a surface that is movable relative to the apparatus with a layer of metallic particles or particles having a metal-like appearance and reflectivity, the particles adhering more strongly to the surface than to one another. The apparatus comprises at least one spray head for directly or indirectly applying to the surface a fluid stream within which the particles are suspended, a housing surrounding the spray head(s) and defining an interior plenum for confining the fluid stream, the housing having a rim adjacent the surface that is configured to prevent egress of particles from a sealing gap defined between the rim of the housing and the surface to be coated, and a suction source connected to the housing to extract from the plenum the sprayed fluid and particles suspended in the sprayed fluid. In operation, the suction source extracts substantially all particles that are not in direct contact with the surface, so as to leave only a substantially single particle layer adhering to the surface on exiting the apparatus.

An apparatus is disclosed for coating a surface that is movable relative to the apparatus with a layer of metallic particles or particles having a metal-like appearance and reflectivity, the particles adhering more strongly to the surface than to one another. The apparatus comprises at least one spray head for directly or indirectly applying to the surface a fluid stream within which the particles are suspended, a housing surrounding the spray head(s) and defining an interior plenum for confining the fluid stream, the housing having a rim adjacent the surface that is configured to prevent egress of particles from a sealing gap defined between the rim of the housing and the surface to be coated, and a suction source connected to the housing to extract from the plenum the sprayed fluid and particles suspended in the sprayed fluid. In operation, the suction source extracts substantially all particles that are not in direct contact with the surface, so as to leave only a substantially single particle layer adhering to the surface on exiting the apparatus.

The invention relates to a sealing element for an ink chamber of a rotary printing press, wherein the sealing element has a sealing surface that rests against a roller body during operation of the rotary printing press. In order to reduce wear on the sealing element, the sealing surface has at least one flow outlet opening, at which an overpressure of a fluid may be built up during operation of the rotary printing press, in such a way that the fluid between the sealing surface and roller body forms a sealing flow film.

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.

There is disclosed a method of printing onto the surface of a substrate, which method comprises i) coating a donor surface with a monolayer of particles, ii) treating the substrate surface to render at least selected regions tacky, and iii) contacting the substrate surface with the donor surface to cause particles to transfer from the donor surface only to the tacky regions of the substrate surface. After printing on a substrate, the donor surface returns to the coating station where the continuity of the monolayer is restored by recovering with fresh particles the regions of the donor surface exposed by the transfer of particles to the substrate.

There is disclosed a method of printing onto the surface of a substrate, which method comprises i) coating a donor surface with a monolayer of particles, ii) treating the substrate surface to render at least selected regions tacky, and iii) contacting the substrate surface with the donor surface to cause particles to transfer from the donor surface only to the tacky regions of the substrate surface. After printing on a substrate, the donor surface returns to the coating station where the continuity of the monolayer is restored by recovering with fresh particles the regions of the donor surface exposed by the transfer of particles to the substrate.

This invention discloses an ink dispensing system for a printer using the nip area between the inking cylinder and the gravure/anilox cylinder as the sole source of inking. Our solution solves the problem of reducing the amount of ink present in the inking buffer, i.e. the nip area, of such printing machines, thereby accelerating the reaction time of an ink replacement and reducing the amount of waste and the cleaning time. The idea behind the invention is to provide ink to the nip area at selected locations when needed by using a dispensing apparatus that moves along the nip area.

There is disclosed a print construction comprising: (a) a printing substrate having an image-receiving surface; (b) a receptive layer, at least partially covering said image-receiving surface, and having a particle reception surface distally disposed to said image-receiving surface, said receptive layer optionally having a thickness of at least 1000 nanometer (nm); and (c) a plurality of individual particles adhered to said particle reception surface, and forming a monolayer thereon, the features of which are described herein.

There is disclosed a print construction comprising: (a) a printing substrate having an image-receiving surface; (b) a receptive layer, at least partially covering said image-receiving surface, and having a particle reception surface distally disposed to said image-receiving surface, said receptive layer optionally having a thickness of at least 1000 nanometer (nm); and (c) a plurality of individual particles adhered to said particle reception surface, and forming a monolayer thereon, the features of which are described herein.