Abstract: A method for taking over a sheet by a trailing edge thereof from an upline cylinder of a sheet-fed rotary printing press and transferring the sheet by the trailing edge thereof to a gripper system, by placing a suction gripper on the sheet in a marginal region of the trailing edge and, during the sheet takeover, having the suction gripper follow the periphery of the upline cylinder, having the suction gripper guided at a constant tangent into the periphery of a downline inverting drum and, along this course, having the suction gripper execute a relative motion in the direction of the tangent so as to tauten the sheet, which comprises, upon reaching a transfer position at the gripper system, having the suction gripper execute a relative motion in the sheet transport direction and, when the grippers close, having the suction gripper and the gripper system disposed at rest relative to one another; and a transmission system for performing the method.

Abstract: A printing cylinder sleeve assembly comprises an inner sleeve made of tubular form from a material which is capable of expanding upon the application of air pressure to the inner surface of the inner sleeve. An outer sleeve is mounted over the inner sleeve in a slip fit manner so that the outer sleeve could be mounted over the inner sleeve assembly comprising the inner sleeve and the outer sleeve and the assembly as a unit can then be mounted over the printing cylinder.

Abstract: A printing press including a frame and a central impression drum rotatably supported on the frame. A plurality of first side printing stations is circumferentially spaced about the central impression drum and in communication therewith. Each of the plurality of printing first side printing stations is adapted to print an image on a first side of a substrate. A perfecting printing station is disposed at a position about the central impression drum. The perfecting printing station includes a multi-purpose drum having a substrate retainer for securing the substrate thereto. The multi-purpose drum forms an impression cylinder and is in communication with an image transfer cylinder for imparting an image on a second side of the substrate. An ink fixing unit is disposed between the first side printing stations and the perfecting station. The ink fixing unit fixes the image on the first side of the substrate prior to the image being imparted on the second side of the substrate by the perfecting station.

Abstract: A method of forming a three-dimensional feature on a surface using the technique of drop ejection to deposit droplets of deposition material. The method comprises depositing a plurality of droplets on the surface to form a feature comprising multiple discrete portions, adjoining portions being formed from different deposition material. Examples of such a feature include a Braille character and a multi-layer optical device.

Abstract: A method for folding demand printed webs into signatures for gathering by rotary gathering and binding machines, as well as the signatures produced thereby, are disclosed. The method involves the steps of digitally printing pages onto a moving web of material, creating a series of fan folds across the transverse axis of the web, severing the web after a desired number of fan folds have been created to form a separate log, and chop folding the resulting log zero one or more times to form a signature. The resulting signature includes a plurality of layers each having pages printed thereon in proper orientation and sequence and includes a sturdy closed backbone which enables the signature to be easily handled by conventional high-speed rotary gathering machines.

Abstract: A method for cutting coating blanket material for use in a printing press includes providing a cutting apparatus having a frame and a cutting surface extending across the frame. A support is mounted to the frame adjacent and approximately parallel to the cutting surface and carries a cutter head mounted thereon for motion back and forth across the support. A drag-type knife is coupled to the cutter head and is movable between a working position wherein the knife penetrates a first layer of flexible material defined by the coating blanket material, and a non-working position wherein the knife is located above the coating blanket material. During operation, the coating blanket moves back and forth through the cutting apparatus while the knife simultaneously places lines of cut in the coating blanket material in accordance with commands issued from a controller having coating blanket cutting data stored therein.

Abstract: A press roller exhibits an external interchangeable sleeve and an internal sleeve, which holds the external sleeve and which is provided with boreholes, which can be loaded with pressurized air, in order to facilitate the pulling on and off of the external sleeve. To feed the compressed air directly to the boreholes while avoiding buffer spaces that impede the pressure buildup, the boreholes are connected to compressed air lines, which are led through the interior of the internal sleeve.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for maintaining a minimum amount of ink in an ink fountain (10) of a printing press includes an ink fountain level sensor (28) and ink dispenser (26) mounted on a carriage (30) for lateral movement on a track (32) across the ink fountain. The carriage traverses the ink fountain. When the ink in the fountain develops a spot below a preset minimum level, a preset amount of ink is immediately dispensed upon detection of the low spot by the sensor.

Abstract: An ink management system for an offset printing press includes a cartridge of offset printing press ink, wherein the cartridge has an exit opening in one end through which ink is dispensed and an open end opposite said exit opening. A movable member is disposed within said ink cartridge for dispensing ink from said ink cartridge. Movement of the movable member dispenses ink into an ink fountain through the exit opening. The displacement of the movable member is determined in order to track an amount of ink dispensed during, for example, a printing run.

Abstract: A sheet post-handling device made compact by incorporating a stapling unit within a first side frame and a sheet transferring system in a second side frame. A simple mechanism formed of only one driving motor and a transmission means with sheet transmission rollers and a timing gear wheel operated with exquisite timing enables the sheet transferring system to be rationally assembled within the second side frame. With the sheet transferring system, a sheet fed from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine is transferred in the forward direction, and then, sent back onto a processing tray in the reverse direction. A plurality of sheets sent onto and stacked on the processing tray are stapled, and thereafter, sent out in the forward direction. The stapling unit is movably mounted on the first side frame to facilitate fitting and removal of the staple cartridge into and from the stapling unit and maintenance of the device.

Abstract: Ink distribution to the transfer roller of a printing machine is rapidly influenced. The ink duct roller is driven at a maximum speed and the ink distribution roller is caused to rotate at the ink duct roller speed. The ink vibrator roller is brought ink continuous engagement with these two rollers and is brought out of contact with its oscillating drive mechanism. The ink fountain is closed and excess ink is conveyed back to it. The original speeds of the ink duct roller and the ink distribution roller are re-established and the oscillating drive of the vibrator roller is resumed.

Abstract: There is disclosed a lightweight portable printer having a frame or housing with a print head and a cooperable platen roll mounted in the housing. The housing pivotally mounts a subassembly. The subassembly mounts an electric motor and gearing driven by the motor for driving the platen roll. The subassembly is resiliently urged to press the print head against the platen roll. The printer has a front door which provides access to the inside of the housing. The front door mounts the platen roll, a label delaminator, a pressure roll, a holder for mounting a supply roll of labels or tags, and a latch for latching the door to the housing and for camming the pressure roll into and out of cooperation with the platen roll.

Abstract: An ink rail for a printing press has an ink rail body, a pedestal, a supporting member and a distance adjusting means. The ink rail body has a concave curved surface and also has an ink supplying surface having plural ink supplying ports opened to the concave curved surface. The pedestal supports the ink rail body in a supporting plane parallel to the joining face of the ink rail body. The supporting member supports the pedestal so as to be angularly displaced. The ink rail body can be reciprocated along the supporting plane of the pedestal. The joining face of the ink rail body approximately conforms to a plane including a rotation central line of the fountain roller, and the concave curved surface of the ink rail body can be approached and separated from the outer circumferential surface of the fountain roller.

Abstract: Multicolor prints should be economically producible in a printing machine suited for automation. For this purpose a printing machine is configured which operates according to the collect-run principle. The multicolor prints are collected on a rubber cylinder (21 on a printing cylinder (5). The printing machine is capable of processing two printing colors (inks) in one printing unit. For the execution of the collecting printing the sheets are fed in a cycle offset to the rotation of the collecting cylinder. There are yielded very compact and simply structured printing machine configurations.

Abstract: A method for driving a printing press having, (i) an impression cylinder, (ii) at least one cylinder group having (a) a blanket cylinder, (b) a printing form cylinder, and (1) an imaging device, (2) an inking unit, and (3) an inherent drive system, all for said printing form cylinder, (iii) a sheet feeding device, (iv) a sheet delivering device, (v) a drive wheel train connecting the cylinders and the inking unit, and (vi) optionally a main motor drive, the method comprising detaching the printing form cylinder from the drive wheel train, driving the printing form cylinder by the inherent drive system at imaging speed during image formation, and re-attaching the printing form cylinder after image formation to the drive wheel train in an operating phase position.

Abstract: Solid-patches 11, 12, and 13 each printed with color-inks of cyan, magenta, yellow, and a gray patch 14 included in a color bar 15 are printed on a printed-matter 10. A measuring and calculation device 4 measures actual ink densities at each of the solid-patches and gray patches in the color bars 15 and obtains differential values between the actual ink densities and target ink densities at the gray patch 14. Then, both the amount of the primary-color-component and that of the color-impurity-component at the solid patches 11, 12, and 13 are respectively substituted into equations at every detection of the differential values and that of the gray patches. In this way, ink supply volume is adjusted as a result of converting the differential values into primary-color-component differential amount in each of the color-inks.

Abstract: A construction of ink dispensing roller is described in which a porous ink metering layer extends around a peripheral surface of a porous ink reservoir. To prevent relative movement between the ink metering layer and the ink reservoir, the ink metering layer is securely located relative to the ink reservoir by means of elements of the ink metering layer extending beyond each axial end of the ink reservoir and being clamped between end cheeks and the axial end walls of the ink reservoir. The ink metering layer is manufactured from sheet material joined by welding along opposite edges into a tubular form. After welding the tubular form is manipulated so that an inner surface becomes a radially exterior ink dispensing surface.

Abstract: The present invention provides a smoothing roller for a printing unit of a rotary printing machine. The smoothing roller is applied to the form cylinder downstream of the ink applicator roller in relation to the direction of rotation of the form cylinder or onto the ink applicator roller itself. The smoothing roller smooths the ink film on the form cylinder or on the ink applicator roller. The outer surface of the smoothing roller has an ink-repelling characteristic. The ink-repelling characteristic is effected by a liquid ink-repelling material such as a separating agent or a dampening medium that is applied to the outer surface of the smoothing roller or by an outer surface of the smoothing roller comprising an ink-repelling material. The two measures for effecting the ink-repellant characteristic of the smoothing roller may also be provided in combination with one another.

Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing multiple die cut business forms is disclosed. A printing press includes a number of different stations that are connected together by a continuous web so that multiple die cut business forms are produced and transported through the printing press by the continuous web. One aspect of the present invention is that a silicone treated glassine stock paper substrate can be utilized to allow business forms to be produced with minimized curling.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method for thermally transferring an ink pattern to a recording medium, comprising the steps of preparing an ink sheet provided with a hot-melt and/or hot-sublimable ink layer and a transparent material sheet provided with a transparent hot-melt material layer, thermally producing an ink pattern on the transparent material layer of the transparent material sheet by heating the ink sheet with thermal head, and thermally transferring the ink pattern to the recording medium together with the transparent hot-melt material layer.