Abstract: An assembly includes a light-permeable film layer, a release liner, and a print pattern. The print pattern includes a base layer. The print pattern sub-divides the film layer into a plurality of discrete base layer areas and/or a plurality of transparent areas. The base layer includes a design imaging surface of a first color. The release liner includes an imperforate material. The release liner includes a release surface. The imperforate material when viewed through said light permeable film layer is a second color contrasting with said first color by the graytone of said second color differing from the graytone of said first color by at least 10%. This contrast may provide a more realistic perception of how the assembly will look in situ (e.g., on a window).

Abstract: A panel and method for making the panel are disclosed. The panel includes a substrate sheet partially imaged with a print pattern. The print pattern subdivides the panel into a plurality of discrete printed areas and/or a plurality of discrete unprinted areas. The design is superimposed on or forms a part of said print pattern. The design comprises a design layer. The print pattern includes a base layer. The print pattern includes elongate printed areas orientated lengthways in one direction. The design layer and base layer include inkjet printable ink in elongate ink deposits orientated lengthways in the one direction. The elongate ink deposits may have an aspect ratio of length:width greater than 1.5:1. The base layer may include white ink. The panel may be made using a digital inkjet cylindrical printer that prints the base layer during at least 10 revolutions of the cylinder.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for making a panel with superimposed layers of marking material in substantially exact registration is provided. An assembly includes a stencil layer sandwiched between a substrate and a transparent coating. The stencil includes a release surface. The coating tends to secure the stencil layer to the substrate, e.g., for storage and/or transport, and may protect the stencil layer from marking materials that might otherwise penetrate the stencil layer. A design and background layers are then printed onto the coating. A force is then applied to remove the background layer, design layer, and coating that are disposed on the stencil layer, leaving the remainder of the background layer, design layer, and coating adhered to the substrate in substantially exact registration within portions of the substrate that are devoid of the stencil layer. The design layer is right-reading visible through the substrates.

Abstract: An alternating sign assembly includes a sheet of light permeable material comprising a front surface and a rear surface; a front design that includes a front design layer; a silhouette pattern including light-restricting imaging material, said front design being superimposed on or forming a part of the silhouette pattern, said silhouette pattern subdividing said sheet into a plurality of discrete areas of said imaging material and/or a plurality of discrete areas devoid of said imaging material; a switchable front source of artificial illumination of said front design; a rear design disposed rearwardly of the front design; and a switchable rear source of artificial illumination of said rear design. The sources of illumination may be alternately turned on to make the front and rear designs alternately visible to an observer in front of the assembly.

Abstract: A one-way vision and/or see-through advertisement panel is provided on the transparent panel of a door of a retail display cabinet. The advertisement panel allows a substantially unobstructed view through the advertisement to a product inside the cabinet from an outer side of the transparent panel. A see-through advertisement panel may be visible from an inner and/or an outer side of the transparent panel. A one-way vision advertisement may be substantially invisible from outside the transparent panel, but visible when a customer opens the door and views inside the door. The advertiser may directly or indirectly pay the retailer or the entity whose products are displayed in the cabinet in exchange for permission to place an advertisement on the transparent panel of the cabinet door. The advertiser may be the retailer or the entity whose products are displayed in the cabinet.

Abstract: This invention relates to the partial printing of a substrate with a plurality of layers to form a partially printed panel. Within each printed portion, at least one layer is applied to the substrate with inexact registration in relation to a second layer. A “control layer” comprising “edge sealing strips” is printed so that, within each printed portion, each edge of the at least two layers with inexact registration is located within the edges of an overlapping edge sealing strip. The edge sealing strips may provide a visual seal or mask at the edges of printed portions, for example to enable the each printed portion to have the desired color rendering within a one-way vision control panel. The invention can comprise the physical sealing of printed portions containing gaseous or liquid fluids or particles in suspension, such as fragrances, medication, environmentally reactive materials or security printing features.

Abstract: This invention relates to the printing of a substrate having a pre-printed “print pattern” with a “design layer” of ink where there is differential adhesion within and without the print pattern. The print pattern is receptive to an ink, and the design layer ink forms a durable image material with good bond to the print pattern, but the ink does not form a durable image material on the portions of the substrate outside the print pattern. The design layer ink is a UV-curable ink, and the print pattern may have a higher surface energy than the portions of the substrate outside the print pattern.

Abstract: A method of partially imaging an imaging surface of a substrate (50) with a plurality of layers of marking material (10) which have at least one common boundary within a print pattern that covers only certain portions of the substrate and not other portions of the substrate. The method includes applying initial superimposed layer of marking material (10) to a base layer (23) and removing portions of the initial superimposed layers of marking material and leaving the desired residual layer portions in the desired print pattern directly applied to the imaging surface of the substrate. The method typically includes the transfer of marking material onto the imaging surface of the substrate. The method has many variants, which can be used to make one-way or other vision control panels, typically using a ceramic ink decal carrier to image a glass sheet with ceramic ink that is then fused onto the glass, which is optionally tempered, in a suitable furnace.

Abstract: This invention relates to the partial printing of a substrate with a plurality of layers to form a partially printed panel. Within each printed portion, at least one layer is applied to the substrate with inexact registration in relation to a second layer. A “control layer” comprising “edge sealing strips” is printed so that, within each printed portion, each edge of the at least two layers with inexact registration is located within the edges of an overlapping edge sealing strip. The edge sealing strips may provide a visual seal or mask at the edges of printed portions, for example to enable the each printed portion to have the desired color rendering within a one-way vision control panel. The invention can comprise the physical sealing of printed portions containing gaseous or liquid fluids or particles in suspension, such as fragrances, medication, environmentally reactive materials or security printing features.

Abstract: This invention relates to the partial printing of a substrate with a plurality of layers to form a partially printed panel. Within each printed portion, at least one layer is applied to the substrate with inexact registration in relation to a second layer. A “control layer” comprising “edge sealing strips” is printed so that, within each printed portion, each edge of the at least two layers with inexact registration is located within the edges of an overlapping edge sealing strip. The edge sealing strips may provide a visual seal or mask at the edges of printed portions, for example to enable the each printed portion to have the desired color rendering within a one-way vision control panel. The invention can comprise the physical sealing of printed portions containing gaseous or liquid fluids or particles in suspension, such as fragrances, medication, environmentally reactive materials or security printing features.