Abstract: A flatbed printer assembly includes a medium support table for supporting a recording medium, the table extending in a first direction and a second direction, the first direction being perpendicular to the second direction; a gantry arranged to be moveable over the medium support table in the first direction; a carriage support movably arranged on the gantry to move over the medium support table in the second direction; a carriage configured to be detachably coupled to the carriage support; a carriage station for holding the carriage, when such carriage is detached from the carriage support; wherein the carriage support is configured to engage and disengage the carriage at the carriage station.

Abstract: A printer includes a print head fastening facing a medium support surface; a scanning print carriage being movable along a guide in a scanning direction (Y); and a transporter for transporting the medium in a transport direction (X). The printer includes a suspension structure connecting the print head fastening to the scanning print carriage while allowing movement of the print head fastening with respect to the scanning print carriage in a direction (X) parallel to the transport direction. The suspension structure is elastically deformable to allow for the movement in said direction (X).

Abstract: A method of forming a solid body using a two-dimensional image printer, wherein liquid droplets of different colors are used for applying solid material in several layers one upon the other, and colors of the liquids for forming a surface layer of the body are selected from a specific set of surface colors, the surface layer being formed by mixed printing of transparent droplets and surface color droplets, characterized in that the thickness of the surface layer is varied such that it increases with increasing slope of the surface of the body.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for circulating a liquid in a printer to prevent settling of dispersed particles in the liquid anywhere in said printer by controlling the recirculation of liquid for each printhead in said printer.

Abstract: A method and a developer station are described. The method and developer station being operable to adapt the inking of an image substrate. The method including applying a voltage across a developer layer on the developer element of the developer station. The application of the voltage causing a current to flow through the developer layer, where the current can be measured. The an indicator of a thickness of the developer layer and/or of the toner quantity in the developer layer is generated based on the voltage and/or the current. The indicator can be used to adjust the inking of the image substrate. For example, the current can be compared to a characteristic curve to generate the indicator.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for preparing a nozzle surface provided with a coating having anti-wetting and anti-fouling property. The method is based, for example, on the self-healing property of the coating used in the method. Also disclosed is a nozzle surface having such coating and a print head having the nozzle surface.

Abstract: In a method for high speed printing of web-based media, a medium is pulled along a media transport path to a pulling transport mechanism. The orientation of the medium with respect to the media transport path is sensed and this orientation is compared to a reference orientation to detect an orientation error. If an orientation error is detected, one or more of the following steps is performed: adjusting a print job for an image to be printed on the web medium; adjusting the transport speed; emitting a communication signal; and stopping the pulling transport mechanism and the image forming unit. It is the insight of the inventor that productivity may be increased by allowing a “tight winding” printing system to start printing at relatively high speed and reduce this speed only when significantly large deviations in the orientation of the web are detected.

Abstract: A document processing system includes a controller for controlling at least one part of the document processing system, a user interface for allowing a user to interact with the document processing system, and a mobile device capable of communicating with the controller in the document processing system via a wireless link. A locating function is provided for locating the mobile device. The user interface has a hierarchical structure with at least three levels each of which is associated with a class of local entities each of which contains at least a part of the document processing system. The local entities are nested such that each lower level entity is contained in an entity associated with a superior level in the hierarchy. A selection function is provided for automatically selecting one of the hierarchical levels dependent upon the local entities in which the mobile device is located.

Abstract: A method is provided for controlling a web in a printing apparatus The printing apparatus includes a transport assembly for moving the web through a transport path along a printing unit for printing an image onto a print area of the web. The method includes feeding the web from a supply roll through the transport path to the transport assembly; and switching the printing apparatus to a ready-to-print mode, wherein the printing unit does not print an image on the web and the web is maintained ready to be printed on. In a printing mode after the ready-to print mode, the following steps are performed: moving the web through the transport path in a transport direction along the printing unit by the transport assembly; and printing the image onto the print area of the web by the printing unit. The image is printed by applying an image material, which solidifies on the web during the printing step.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a radiation curable ink composition comprising a gellant and a gel accelerator. The present invention further relates to an ink set comprising such ink composition. The present invention further relates to a method for making such ink composition and a printing method using such ink composition.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of printing a print job by an image reproduction system. The print job specifies a printing step on an image receiving medium and a finishing step in or on the image receiving medium. The method comprises the steps of receiving the print job by the image reproduction system and receiving a trigger by a controller of the image reproduction system that the finishing step is not to be performed. In such a case for a digital image comprised in print job data of the print job, at least one digital finishing visualization image of a predetermined visual appearance of a result of the finishing step in or on the image receiving medium is obtained as well as a position of the digital image for merging the obtained at least one digital finishing visualization image with the digital image. The digital image is updated by merging the obtained at least one digital finishing visualization image with the digital image at the obtained position.

Abstract: A printing system includes a transport path for transporting a web medium. The transport path includes a slack region wherein the web medium is slack or substantially tension-free. A take-up roller is positioned at a downstream end of the transport path for receiving and winding the web medium. A tensioning device is positioned along the transport path between the slack region and the take-up roller. The tensioning device includes a first surface arranged for exerting a friction force on the web medium moving over the first surface in a direction opposite to a transport direction of the transport path, such that the web medium is tensioned between the tensioning device and the take-up roller. Since the friction force tensions the web being wound onto the take-up roller, the wound media rolls are tightly wound when applying “loose winding.

Abstract: A flat bed printer includes a flat bed, a print head assembly, a drive system arranged to move the print head assembly over the bed, a controller arranged to control operations of the print head assembly and the drive system, and an obstacle detection system arranged to detect obstacles in a region of movement of the print head assembly. The controller has a split-bed mode of operation in which the movements of the print head assembly are confined to only a part of the bed while another part of the bed is left idle, and the controller is arranged to calculate, when an obstacle is detected in the split-bed mode of operation, an expected time to collision after which the print head assembly will collide with the obstacle.

Abstract: A method is provided for printing color images using a color workflow. This workflow results in equal output colors from two print systems. For a first print system an existing color output profile for converting colors is used. An actual output color profile for the first print system is obtained from color measurement data that relate device colorant coordinates of the first print system to device independent color data. The existing output color profile does not correspond to the color measurement data. For a second print system, an additional output color profile is obtained from color measurement data. The color workflow that is applied in the second print system for converting colors of an input image is made by combining the existing output color profile, the actual output color profile and the additional color output profile, wherein the actual output color profile is applied in an inverse direction (A2B).

Abstract: A roll to roll printing method in which a web of a recording medium is withdrawn from a first roll, a number of images are printed on the web and the printed web is wound on a second roll, wherein a representation of the printed images is printed on a part of the web which is to form a trailing end of the web on the second roll.

Abstract: In a drying system for a printing system, a plurality of dryers can be arranged along a drying route to dry a recording medium. The plurality of dryers can including multiple resistive heating elements configured to dry the recording medium. The dryers can be supplied via two or more supply lines with an alternating current having a sequence of alternating positive and negative half-waves. A controller of the drying system can be coupled to the dryers and can couple the dryers uniformly on average with the at least two supply lines given positive and negative half-waves based on a nominal temperature curve along the drying route. The controller can jointly couple the resistive heating elements of a corresponding dryer with a multiphase supply grid or jointly decouple the resistive heating elements of the dryer with the multiphase supply grid during a half-wave.

Abstract: In a method to create a print image with an inkjet printing system that has optional nozzles, for each image point, a distribution parameter can be determined. The distribution parameter can indicate how the ink quantity that is to be ejected for the image point is to be divided up among the optional nozzles. A controller can be configured to control a printing system to perform the method.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a radiation curable ink composition comprising a gellant. The present invention further relates to an ink set comprising such ink composition. The present invention further relates to a method for making such ink composition and a printing method using such ink composition.

Abstract: A print group for a digital printer can include a transfer station and a wetting system. The transfer station can be configured to transfer a toner image onto a first side of a recording medium at a transfer point in response to an electrical field, the transfer station being configured to apply the electrical field between a transfer electrode on the first side of the recording medium and a counter-electrode on a second side of the recording medium, wherein the recording medium is directed between the transfer electrode and the counter-electrode. The wetting system can be configure to apply a conductive fluid onto a surface of the second side of the recording medium at the transfer point, the conductive fluid at least partially forming a conductive connecting layer between the surface of the second side of the recording medium and a surface of the counter-electrode at the transfer point.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for printing a plurality of voxels of an object in a plurality of passes of a print head of a printing system over a substrate, each pass having a movement direction of the print head relative to the substrate while ejecting marking material from the print head towards the substrate, each voxel having a position in the object, the method comprising the steps of for each voxel of the object selecting a movement direction of the print head based on the position of the voxel in the object, selecting at least one pass in which the voxel will be printed, the at least one pass having a movement direction which corresponds to the selected movement direction of the print head, and printing the voxel in the selected at least one pass. The present invention also relates to a printing system configured to execute the method.