Method of printing variable information
US6779455B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 27, 2003 |
| Grant date | Aug 24, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 27, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S101/29
- WIPO fieldTextile and paper machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
The gel method of printing variable information of the present invention involves applying inks onto a substrate that is part of or attached to a cylinder of the printing machine. Imaging is by means of an energy source in the UV, visible or infrared regions, modulated to represent a digital image pattern that has been composed on a computer. The consequence of imaging is to gel the ink and increase its adhesion to the substrate of the printing cylinder. The non-gelled background ink with lower adhesion is then removed by a squeegee action and returned to an ink reservoir. The remaining image is transferred to an offset blanket or directly to print stock by pressure. The process does not use a master, but produces an image that is erased after printing with each cylinder rotation so that the next rotation producing the next print can have fresh information written upon it.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.