A protective film that can be included in multi-layer film laminates for use in marketing, advertising campaigns, particularly outdoor or other environment impacted promotions and safety applications. The film includes at least two different polyurethane polymers and is free or substantially free of polyvinyl chloride based polymer. One polyurethane has an ultimate elongation less than 200%, and another polyurethane has an ultimate elongation more than 400%. The film may be transparent, translucent, clear or have other desirable optical properties.

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.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a temporary tattoo, appliqué or decal and a method of using the tattoo on a patient to identify on that patient a selected operative site, wherein said operation is identified by name on said decal and wherein the accuracy of site selection may be endorsed by the patient and the responsible operator directly on the selected site in such a manner that the endorsement indicia remain legible after the decal is eradicated.

An electroluminescent transfer laminate includes a flexible substrate unit including a water-soluble layer, and an electroluminescent transferable unit. The electroluminescent transferable unit is formed on the water-soluble layer and includes a first light-transmittable protecting layer, a first electrode-forming layer including a conductive looped frame portion and a first electrode protruding from the conductive looped frame portion, a light-transmittable conductive polymeric layer, an electroluminescent layer, a second electrode-forming layer including a main portion and a second electrode protruding from the main portion, a second protecting layer, and an adhesive layer adapted to be adhered to a target object.

A coating machine has a receiving box, a releasing device, a length measuring device, a driving roller device and a coating device. The releasing device, the length measuring device, the driving roller device, and the coating device are assembled inside the receiving box. The coating device has a coating pole and a releasing set. The coating pole is arranged below the releasing set. The releasing set has a receptacle to contain an activator. The receptacle has at least one releasing hole to release the activator. The coating machine adopts the coating device with a simplified structure and has a merit of coating the activator evenly.

A method conceals optical defects in surfaces. The method includes: obtaining a digital image by a digital optical recording the optical defect and a surrounding surface; obtaining an imitation of the surface in a region of the at least one optical defect by image processing of the digital image; printing a mirror-inverted, true-to-scale representation of the surface imitation onto a transfer film; soaking the transfer film; applying an activator onto a the transfer film or onto the surface; aligning the transfer film onto the surface so that the surface imitation on the transfer film coincides with the optical defect on the surface; pressing the transfer film onto the surface; peeling the transfer film from the surface; pressing on the ink remaining on the surface; and after complete drying of the activator and of the ink: applying a protective layer onto the surface imitation.

An eco-friendly activator-free water transfer printing film includes a water-based modified acrylic copolymer resin layer set on a superabsorbent film and made of a water-based modified acrylic copolymer resin which is formed by acrylic copolymer emulsion, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) resin and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) resin and provided crosslinking an end surface with the water-based modified acrylic copolymer resin layer after another end surface of the superabsorbent film absorbs water and becomes softened; and an information body set on the water-based modified acrylic copolymer resin layer; so that the present invention is simply set on a water surface to crosslink the superabsorbent film with the water-based modified acrylic copolymer resin layer to produce the adhesiveness of the water-based modified acrylic copolymer resin layer without using any activator.

A film assembly for transferring an image to a surface includes a base layer, an ink layer that is removably adhered to the base layer, a developer layer that develops the ink layer and a transfer layer that is removably adhered to the developer layer, the transfer layer including the image that is configured to be transferred onto the surface. The base layer and the rear layer can be adhered together to form a rear layer. A frame layer can be removably adhered to the transfer layer. The ink layer can contain a non-toxic ink. The transfer layer can be manufactured with resilient materials. The frame layer can be removed from the transfer layer. The rear layer can be removed from the developer layer. The film assembly can be within a film assembly array of a plurality of film assemblies and can be disposed within a film assembly housing.

The present invention provides: a heat- and light-curable coating composition which is suitable as a top clear coat for plastic molded articles for automobiles or household electric appliances or for plastic molded articles having a water pressure transfer print layer; a coating film formation method using the coating composition; and a water pressure transfer method using the coating composition. The heat- and light-curable coating composition comprises: an acrylic polyol resin (a) having a glass transition temperature (Tg) of 50° C. to 100° C., a mass average molecular weight of 1,000 to 20,000, and a hydroxyl value of 20 to 200 mgKOH/g; a multifunctional photocurable compound (b); a polymerization initiator (c); and a polyisocyanate compound (d), wherein a ratio of the acrylic polyol resin to the multifunctional photocurable compound is 5/95 to 90/10, and an equivalence ratio of hydroxyl groups contained in the acrylic polyol resin to isocyanate groups contained in the polyisocyanate compound, (OH/NCO), is 0.5 to 1.5.

A method of weathering scale and un-scale models comprising creating a custom illustration of a weathering effect such as rust streak, splashed and splattered mud, oil and grease, grime, a crease, a dent, burns and other effects on a background, making an image of the painting and printing the image onto a receptive coating to create a decal, and the decal is applied to the model thereby creating a weathering effect.