Provided herein are methods and systems for the custom-printing of an item including, e.g., a) accepting customer request data for a workpiece and customer request data for a graphic design to cover at least a portion of the workpiece; b) accepting workpiece identifier data from a workpiece database based on the customer request data; c) accepting print design data from a print design database based on the customer request data for a graphic design; d) associating the print design data with the workpiece identifier data; e) printing the print design data onto a hydrofilm portion; f) placing the hydrofilm portion onto a fluid surface in a dip tank; g) applying an activator to the hydrofilm portion to yield an activated hydrofilm portion; and h) dipping the workpiece into the dip tank, whereby the activated hydrofilm portion is bonded to the workpiece as a result of the dipping.

There is described a sheet numbering process involving feeding of individual sheets (S) in succession, which individual sheets (S) each carry a plurality of imprints (P) that are arranged in a matrix of rows and columns, and providing unique serial numbers to multiple ones of the plurality of imprints (P) carried by the individual sheets (S). The sheet numbering process comprises numbering of at least some of the individual sheets (S), wherein numbering of the individual sheets (S) is selectively commutable between a first numbering scheme (N1) and at least a second numbering scheme (N2; N2′; N*), different from the first numbering scheme (N1), without interruption of the numbering process. The first numbering scheme (N1) involves providing all imprints (P) of a first subset (S.sup.0) of individual sheets (S) with a unique serial number (SN1) of the first numbering scheme (N1). The second numbering scheme (N2; N2′; N*) involves providing all or part of the imprints (P) of a second subset (S′; S*) of individual sheets (S) with a unique serial number (SN2; SN2′; SN*) of the second numbering scheme (N2; N2′; N*). The first subset (S.sup.0) of individual sheets (S) and the second subset (S′; S*) of individual sheets are sorted after numbering in dependence of the numbering scheme (N1; N2; N2′; N*). Also described is a sheet-processing machine for carrying out the aforementioned sheet numbering process.

There is described a numbering device (1) for carrying out numbering in sheet-fed or web-fed numbering presses, the numbering device (1) comprising a numbering unit (6) with rotatable numbering wheels (7) carrying alpha-numerical symbols thereon, which numbering wheels (7) are disposed next to each other and rotate about a common rotation axis (17), the numbering device (1) further comprising electro-mechanical actuation means for setting the position of the numbering wheels (7). The electro-mechanical actuation means are entirely located within the numbering device (1) and are mechanically autonomous, the electro-mechanical actuation means comprising a plurality of independent driving means (15, 18-23; 23*) for actuating a corresponding plurality of the numbering wheels.

A device for the alphanumeric labeling of printed products comprises a shaft mounted in a frame, and around which shaft at least one wheel-shaped or ring-shaped labeling tool is rotatably mounted, which tool carries a number of alphanumeric characters, one behind the other, on its outer circumference. A drive motor, in the form of, for example, a stepper motor, is provided and by which the labeling tool can be rotated around the shaft. The drive motor is linked for signals transmission to one of a data processing and a data storage of a control device, in which an assignment specification between the working positions of the alphanumeric characters or the fields carrying the alphanumeric characters, and step numbers of the stepper motor, is provided. The drive motor is or can be controlled by the control device in terms of a number of steps to be traveled, using this provided assignment specification, to move an alphanumeric character to be printed or the relevant field into a working position.

A device for the alphanumeric labeling of printed products comprises a shaft mounted in a frame, and around which shaft at least one wheel-shaped or ring-shaped labeling tool is rotatably mounted, which tool carries a number of alphanumeric characters, one behind the other, on its outer circumference. A drive motor, in the form of, for example, a stepper motor, is provided and by which the labeling tool can be rotated around the shaft. The drive motor is linked for signals transmission to one of a data processing and a data storage of a control device, in which an assignment specification between the working positions of the alphanumeric characters or the fields carrying the alphanumeric characters, and step numbers of the stepper motor, is provided. The drive motor is or can be controlled by the control device in terms of a number of steps to be traveled, using this provided assignment specification, to move an alphanumeric character to be printed or the relevant field into a working position.

An apparatus for inspecting the characters/numbers of a negotiable instrument, the apparatus being provided with: cameras (124) for imaging the character/number sequence (1b) printed on each design on large-size printed matter (1) on which a plurality of designs of the negotiable instrument are printed; and a character/number inspection device (10) for determining the suitability of the characters/numbers printed on each negotiable instrument on the basis of the image data imaged by the cameras (124), wherein the character/number inspection device (10) determines the suitability of the character/number sequence (1b) in a cut segment (1a) on the basis of a plurality of determination standards set in accordance with the position of the cut segment (1a) on the large-size printed matter (1).

A print quality examination device is provided in a printing machine (1) provided with a printing unit (3) that performs printing on a mirror-reflection member (5a) of a sheet (5) to which the mirror-reflection member (5a) is added. The print quality examination device of the printing machine is provided with an examination camera (18a) that images a picture printed on the sheet (5), a light source (18h) that irradiates the sheet (5) with light, and a print quality examination unit (18g) that examines the quality of the picture printed by the printing unit (3) based on image data imaged by the examination camera (18a). The examination camera (18a) or the light source (18h) is configured to be movably supported on an arc about a detection point (P) imaged by the examination camera (18a) for the sheet (5).

An apparatus for inspecting the characters/numbers of a negotiable instrument, the apparatus being provided with: cameras (124) for imaging the character/number sequence (1b) printed on each design on large-size printed matter (1) on which a plurality of designs of the negotiable instrument are printed; and a character/number inspection device (10) for determining the suitability of the characters/numbers printed on each negotiable instrument on the basis of the image data imaged by the cameras (124), wherein the character/number inspection device (10) determines the suitability of the character/number sequence (1b) in a cut segment (1a) on the basis of a plurality of determination standards set in accordance with the position of the cut segment (1a) on the large-size printed matter (1).

A print quality examination device is provided in a printing machine (1) provided with a printing unit (3) that performs printing on a mirror-reflection member (5a) of a sheet (5) to which the mirror-reflection member (5a) is added. The print quality examination device of the printing machine is provided with an examination camera (18a) that images a picture printed on the sheet (5), a light source (18h) that irradiates the sheet (5) with light, and a print quality examination unit (18g) that examines the quality of the picture printed by the printing unit (3) based on image data imaged by the examination camera (18a). The examination camera (18a) or the light source (18h) is configured to be movably supported on an arc about a detection point (P) imaged by the examination camera (18a) for the sheet (5).

The invention relates to a numbering unit (10) with type wheels (16) for applying a character string to a document, wherein the type wheels (16) are mounted rotatably about an axis of rotation (162), and wherein a catch (20) is assigned to a type wheel (16) in order to prevent undesired rotation of the type wheel (16), wherein the catch (16) is displaceable along the axis of rotation (162) of the type wheels (16). Furthermore, the invention relates to a catch (20) for such a numbering unit (10), and to a numbering machine with such a numbering unit (10). The present invention thus provides a numbering unit (10) with a variable type wheel width, since the catches (20) can be adjusted both to a different width and to a different number of type wheels (16).