A drag force sensor on a fountain solution carrier roller surface measures drag force of a fountain solution layer on the fountain solution carrier roller surface in real-time during a printing operation. The measured drag force is used in a feedback loop to actively control the fountain solution layer thickness by adjusting the volumetric feed rate of fountain solution added onto the imaging member surface during a printing operation to reach a desired uniform thickness for the printing. This fountain solution monitoring system may be fully automated.

A drag force sensor on a fountain solution carrier roller surface measures drag force of a fountain solution layer on the fountain solution carrier roller surface in real-time during a printing operation. The measured drag force is used in a feedback loop to actively control the fountain solution layer thickness by adjusting the volumetric feed rate of fountain solution added onto the imaging member surface during a printing operation to reach a desired uniform thickness for the printing. This fountain solution monitoring system may be fully automated.

A printing apparatus configured to print a can body includes: a plurality of printing plates; a blanket; a blanket transfer device configured to transfer inks on the plurality of printing plates to the blanket; and a can body transfer device configured to transfer the inks transferred to the blanket to the can body. The blanket transfer device transfers the inks such that at least part of an ink transferred from one printing plate is superimposed onto at least part of inks in other colors transferred from other printing plates.

According to the invention there is an apparatus for printing onto cylindrical structures comprising: a plurality of inker devices each comprising a print cylinder and one or more servomotors for adjustably controlling the position or orientation of a print cylinder; a blanket device comprising a plurality of print blankets, in which the blanket device is configured to bring each print blanket into contact with the print cylinders to transfer ink from the print cylinders to the print blanket, and to bring each print blanket into contact with a cylindrical structure to achieve printing thereon; a transporter for transporting the cylindrical structures into and out of contact with the print blankets; and an automatic print correction system comprising a print inspection device for detecting a misregistration of ink transferred from one or more of the print cylinders onto a print blanket, and a controller for controlling the servomotors of the print cylinders to correct the misregistration in response to data received from the print inspection device.

A method for printing on a substrate comprises two steps. The first step consists essentially of: applying onto a substrate one or more layers of an energy curable ink and applying one or more layers of a water-based coating over the top of the one or more layers of energy curable ink. The second step comprises the steps of, in any order: a) drying the one or more layers of water-based coating, and b) actinically or electron beam curing simultaneously all the energy curable ink layers.

A method for printing on a substrate comprises two steps. The first step consists essentially of: applying onto a substrate one or more layers of an energy curable ink and applying one or more layers of a water-based coating over the top of the one or more layers of energy curable ink. The second step comprises the steps of, in any order: a) drying the one or more layers of water-based coating, and b) actinically or electron beam curing simultaneously all the energy curable ink layers.

A printing apparatus configured to print an image on a can body includes: a blanket transfer device configured to transfer ink on a plurality of printing plates to a blanket; and a can body transfer device configured to transfer the ink having been transferred on the blanket to the can body to print the image on the can body. The plurality of printing plates include a first printing plate and a second printing plate to print a specified image of the image. The first printing plate is configured to print a border image which is a border part of the specified image, and the second printing plate is configured to print a vicinity of the border image in the specified image.

An apparatus and methods for using coatings for metal applications are disclosed. According to one embodiment, an article comprises a cured polymeric film having a first reaction product of a cationic photoinitiator and a compound suitable for cationic polymerization. The article has a second reaction product of a free-radical photoinitiator and a compound suitable for free-radical polymerization; The article has a metal substrate, wherein the cured polymeric film coats the metal substrate.

An apparatus and methods of decorating a metallic container are provided. More specifically, the present invention relates to apparatus and methods used to provide a decoration or indicia on a predetermined portion of an outer surface of a metallic container body. The decorator includes at least one digital print unit, a transfer blanket, and a support element. The digital print unit transfers a decorating material to the transfer blanket to form a decoration on the transfer blanket. The support element then moves a metallic container into contact with the transfer blanket. In this manner, the decorating material is transferred to an exterior surface portion of the metallic container to decorate the metallic container. In one embodiment, the digital print unit is an electrophotographic system which transfers a toner material to the transfer blanket. In another embodiment, the digital print unit includes an inkjet print head which transfers an ink to the transfer blanket. Optionally, the decorator may include two or more support elements.

Disclosed is a patterning method by ink lithography. More particularly, the patterning method includes coating thin film-forming nanoparticles surrounded by the first ligand on a substrate to form a nanoparticle thin film; directly spraying a ligand-substituting ink to a selected region on the nanoparticle thin film to form a region in which the first ligand is substituted with the second ligand; and washing the nanoparticle thin film with a washing solvent so that the region substituted with the second ligand is patterned.