A method for direct transfer printing is disclosed. The method for direct transfer printing includes applying a fountain solution to an imaging blanket in a negative imagewise manner using an inkjet printhead, contacting the imaging blanket with a printing substrate, transferring the fountain solution from the imaging blanket to the printing substrate, contacting the printing substrate with an inking station, and depositing an ink film from the inking station to the printing substrate in one or more locations on the printing substrate where there is no fountain solution. A module for a direct transfer marking process and a direct transfer printing system are also disclosed.

A method for direct transfer printing is disclosed. The method for direct transfer printing includes applying a fountain solution to an imaging blanket in a negative imagewise manner using an inkjet printhead, contacting the imaging blanket with a printing substrate, transferring the fountain solution from the imaging blanket to the printing substrate, contacting the printing substrate with an inking station, and depositing an ink film from the inking station to the printing substrate in one or more locations on the printing substrate where there is no fountain solution. A module for a direct transfer marking process and a direct transfer printing system are also disclosed.

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.

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.

A service tracking system for a printing press (1), spray applicator (1′) or the like includes at least one replaceable component (10) having at least one memory unit (20). The service tracking system further includes a controller (30) which is connected to the memory unit (20). The controller (30) is configured to control the operation of the replaceable component (10) and to periodically update data stored on the memory unit (20) related to run-time data regarding the operation of the specific replaceable component (10).

A service tracking system for a printing press (1), spray applicator (1′) or the like includes at least one replaceable component (10) having at least one memory unit (20). The service tracking system further includes a controller (30) which is connected to the memory unit (20). The controller (30) is configured to control the operation of the replaceable component (10) and to periodically update data stored on the memory unit (20) related to run-time data regarding the operation of the specific replaceable component (10).

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.

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.

A solid particle aerosol development device form fogs of solid (e.g., frozen) fountain solution particles that are charged, and brings the charged solid fountain solution particles into proximity of an electrostatic charged image pattern on a imaging member's charge retentive surface. The charged solid fountain solution particles bond to the charge retentive surface at the charged image pattern to develop that image into a fountain solution latent image. The solid particle aerosol development devices produce solid fountain solution particles to develop electrostatic latent images while mitigating issues of evaporation and vapor production, and thus may apply fine films of fountain solution which may otherwise evaporate. In examples, the fountain solution aerosol development devices may include an anilox member, a metering member in contact with the anilox member, a fountain solution reservoir, a particle charger and a particle delivery baffle.

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.