Abstract: An automatic plate feeding system for loading plates of various sizes into a printing plate imaging device, which includes a plurality of trays staggered one on top of the other, and an arm mechanism for loading plates from the plurality of trays and feeding the loaded plates to the imaging device.

Abstract: An integrated computerized system for use in color printing having at least one digital representation of a color characteristic of at least one page to be printed and a digital storage memory for storing the digital representation. An imposition apparatus is connected to the storage memory to receive the digital representation and arrange the digital representation in accordance with a desired plate layout, thereby to define a plate image. A press set-up device extracts from the plate image the color characteristic and provides ink flow set-up data to a printing press in accordance with the extracted color characteristic.

Abstract: A method for providing indications for conditioning ink flow valves of at least one inking unit of a printing press. The printing area of the inking unit is divided into a multiplicity of inking zones each supplied by one ink flow valve in order to prescribe a predetermined rate of ink flow for each ink zone in said at least one inking unit. The method includes determining by calculating, from a digital image being processed for printing, a representative ink density value for each ink zone and for each color separation and furnishing the ink flow valves respectively with the values for regulating the flow in the ink zones.

Abstract: A printing system which uses a single layer printing member coated on to a cylinder is provided. For waterless offset application, the single layer printing member consists of an oleophobic imaging layer containing an oleophobic resin, coated on an oleophillic cylinder. For wet application, the single layer may either be hydrophilic, coated on a oleophillic cylinder; or vice versa. The single layer printing member is composed of a resin having either oleophobic, hydrophilic or oleophillic properties, to which an infra red absorbing component or components may be added.

Abstract: An integrated computerized system for use in color printing having at least one digital representation of a color characteristic of at least one page to be printed and a digital storage memory for storing the digital representation. An imposition apparatus is connected to the storage memory to receive the digital representation and arrange the digital representation in accordance with a desired plate layout, thereby to define a plate image. A press set-up device extracts from the plate image the color characteristic and provides ink flow set-up data to a printing press in accordance with the extracted color characteristic.

Abstract: A foil remover for removing one or more sheets of foil from an underlying hard surface. The foil remover includes a movable carrier and at least one gripper attached to the carrier. The gripper includes many pinching fingers, each of the fingers oriented approximately perpendicular to the hard surface and ending with a tip. The foil remover operates with respect to each of the grippers to bring the tips, mutually apart, in contact with the top sheet of foil and causes the tips to approach each other, and to pinch the sheets.

Abstract: An imaging device for fitting to a standard camera body is provided. The device includes an imaging die mounted on a support element and a glass cover attached to the upper surface of the die. The imaging device is located along the optical axis of the camera body.

Abstract: A duplex color web press, wherein each section, which prints both faces of the web with any one ink type and color, is configured with a single printing cylinder and, in the case of a digitally recording press, with a single recording head. The single printing cylinder carries the inking versions of both the recto and verso images around its circumference and the web is routed through two printing stations, both associated with the single printing cylinder, so that one of its faces is imprinted in one station and the other face--in the other station. The resultant print on each face is alternating recto and verso images, such that a recto image on one face is in the back of a verso image on the other face, and vice versa.

Abstract: Imaging apparatus is provided which includes a generally cylindrical support defining a substrate support surface, a head operative to record information onto a substrate on the substrate support surfaces, and apparatus for precise rotational positioning and displacement of the cylindrical drum with respect to the imaging head. The apparatus includes at least one linear motor arranged to drive the cylindrical support in rotational motion, and control apparatus for providing electrical inputs to the linear motor to achieve precise rotational positioning of the substrate support surface.

Abstract: A method for inspecting a surface of a printing medium, the method comprising the steps of acquiring an image of the surface or a portion thereof, digitizing the acquired image whereby a digitized real representation of the surface or portion is obtained.

Abstract: A method for recording a rectangular image along helical tracks on a plate, while the plate is mounted on a cylindrical surface in an imagesetter, so that an edge of the image, corresponding to a reference edge of the plate, essentially parallels the reference edge. The method includes punching one or more notches across the reference edge of the plate, providing two stop pins, fixedly attached to the cylindrical surface, and positioning the plate on the cylindrical surface so that one of the stop pins engages one of the notches.

Abstract: A clamp for gripping an edge of a plate that is mounted on the surface of a rotatable drum. The clamp includes a hinge, attached to the drum and including a pivot axis, and a gripper, formed to have a tip, operative to press the edge of the plate against the drum. The gripper is attached to the hinge so that the center of mass of the gripper is in a direction from the pivot axis that is generally opposite the direction of the tip from the pivot axis.

Abstract: A compact optical system for imaging an array of light emitters, particularly an individually addressable laser diodes array, onto a recording surface, whereby the image of each emitting region is spread in the cross direction to a width approximately equal to its length dimension. The system consists of a main non-anamorphic imaging lens assembly and a single cylindrical lens disposed between the array and the imaging lens assembly, with its focal line parallel to the array's centerline. There will occur a spread of the short dimension of the imaged emitting regions due to defocusing at the recording surface. Also, the numerical aperture of the emitted beams in the transverse axis is reduced prior to entry into the imaging lens assembly.

Abstract: A novel optical system operative to transfer, with high efficiency, optical power from a line source, such as a LDB, built from a plurality of individual light sources with different angular distribution in two orthogonal axis into a rectangular area with a particular aspect ratio and two different numerical apertures. The near field pattern of a LDB is imaged onto the plane of an SLM. The system utilizes light generated from an LDB having a plurality of individual light sources to illuminate a microlens array. The microlens array, consisting of a plurality of microlenses, functions to collimate the light from the LDB in the slow axis. An optical element adjacent the microlens array refracts the light in the fast axis. In the slow axis, the light from the microlens array is incident upon an optical element which focuses the light onto the SLM plane such that the light from each point light source illuminates the entire active pixel area of the SLM.

Abstract: A system and method for employing a digital representation of a color image to be printed in a printing system is provided. The method includes generating at least one raster representation of the color image to be printed and a run length representation of the color image wherein the high resolution representation includes a plurality of files, each file storing information representing a single color to be printed; and a run length file including at least the run length information of the color to be printed. Preferably, each one of the plurality of files including at least an indication for each pixel whether to print the raster representation or the run length representation. The method also includes providing the raster representation and the run length representation to printing apparatus.

Abstract: A digital image display system and method for displaying a digital image in a large format are provided. The system includes a frame buffer for storing the digital image, which is projected via a plurality N of projection units. Each projection unit projects a section of the digital image which is 1/Nth of the digital image plus an overlap portion of each of its neighboring sections. Thus, when the sections are projected, the portions of the image corresponding to the edges between projection units will be overlapped. The intensities of the overlapped portions are typically modulated to ensure that, in the large format image, the overlapped portions receive the same amount of illumination as the non-overlapped portions. The resultant image will have no seams between projection units. The projection units are assumed to be mis-aligned and the misalignment is compensated for by transforming each section of the image in accordance with the misalignment of the projection.

Abstract: A method and system for efficiently rotating an image in a first raster, by any angle, onto a second raster of much higher resolution, and also for generating a page image in a high-resolution raster from a plurality of contone images, input in lower resolutions, with arbitrary orientation angles. The system uses serially organized buffer memories to store input pixels relevant to a group of output raster lines at a time and calls for repeatedly reading out the values in sequence, once for each line of the group, and selecting the relevant values on the fly. More specifically, pixels are stored in two buffer memories, corresponding to two lines straddling the back-mapped group, and values are selected between their respective readout streams according to which elementary pixel areas each back-mapped raster line traverses. Concurrently the segment lengths of such traversal are computed and paired with the selected pixel values.

Abstract: Apparatus for positioning, holding and surface processing a small dimensioned hard crystal is provided. The apparatus includes a position location jig for positioning the crystal in an x-y plane, vacuum pump apparatus for generating a vacuum to grip the crystal in the x-y plane, copper vapor laser apparatus for surface processing, including scribing or drilling the hard crystals and projection microscope apparatus mounted on the laser for accurate location of the processing area.

Abstract: A liquid droplet ejection device, which includes a number of liquid ejection nozzles, a liquid supply layer including porous material, with the liquid supply layer featuring holes related to the nozzles, and a number of transducers related to the holes for ejecting liquid droplets out through the nozzles.

Abstract: A processless visible light insensitive, IR sensitive printing member, is provided together with a method for producing the printing member. The method includes the steps of providing a visible light sensitive printing member and the step of processing the visible light sensitive printing member so as to receive a visible light insensitive, IR radiation sensitive printing member therefrom. The processing step is carried out in a visible light free environment.