Abstract: A reverse doctor blade assembly dispenses and applies a liquid, such as ink or an adhesive, to the surface of a rotating transfer roll. The assembly has a reservoir chamber with a liquid inlet line and a liquid outlet line which are positioned to provide an optimum level of wetting liquid within the reservoir and a constant flow of liquid within the reservoir.The cylindrical surface of the transfer roll is evenly terminated at each end with part of an ellipsoid face, and the doctor blade assembly includes doctor blades consisting of two parallel parts which contact the cylindrical surface and which are connected at each end with semi-elliptical doctor blade parts, each of which contacts one of the corresponding ellipsoid faces of the transfer roll.