Abstract: Provided is an apparatus suitable for use as a printer wash-up blade. Also provided is a method of cleaning a roller on a rotary printing press using the above apparatus.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a rotary screen printing apparatus, comprising: a rotary cylindrical screen; a conduit which provides fluid communication to an internal volume of the rotary cylindrical screen; and, a heater whose output is directed towards the conduit.

Abstract: A flexographic printing plate includes at least one halftone printing area with a plurality of halftone dots. A halftone dot of said plurality of halftone dots is shaped as a relief area. Said relief area includes a central portion and a surrounding portion. Said central portion has a central dot floor with a first pattern of a plurality of pins protruding upwardly from the central dot floor. Said surrounding portion protrudes upwardly from the central dot floor and has a top side including a second pattern of a plurality of recesses. The first pattern and second pattern are such that the surrounding portion can be distinguished from the central portion.

Abstract: A screen assembly is provided for screen printing and includes a screen with a perimeter frame and a tray covering the frame. The tray includes a central opening with an inner peripheral lip or edge which press fits against the screen to keep ink from contacting the frame during the screen printing process. After printing, the tray is removed from the frame so that the assembly can be cleaned and reused. The assembly and its method of use eliminates the need for conventional taping of the screen and frame.

Abstract: An instant lottery ticket game system includes a set of scratch-off lottery ticket blanks, each lottery ticket blank having a front face and a back face and a game play area on the front face with play indicia that presents a pre-determined game outcome, the play indicia covered by a scratch-off coating (SOC). A coating layer is applied over at least the game play area such that an entirety of the front face presents an empty composition area void of lottery ticket indicia. The set of lottery ticket blanks are housed within an automated dispenser. An interface is configured with the dispenser and is in communication with a printer associated with the dispenser and accepts input of composition indicia from a patron for printing on portions of or the entirety of the front face to generate a finished scratch-off lottery ticket prior to dispensing the finished lottery ticket.

Abstract: A printing device includes a panel unit including: a display panel; a capacitive touch sensor in which a position detection sensor and a cover glass are laminated and which includes a first side and a second side located facing each other; and a panel circuit board, the capacitive touch sensor in the second attachment state is disposed so that the first side is lower than the second side, and a size of a first frame area located along the first side in a frame area that does not receive an input of operation information of the capacitive touch sensor in a direction from the first side to the second side is larger than a size of a second frame area located along the second side in the frame area in the direction from the first side to the second side.

Abstract: Elements for hand printing designs and patterns include cone pin blocks, flat pin blocks, and multisided sequence stamps. A cone pin block generally has a circular cross-section and is rolled in order to make symmetrical, circular or partial-circle designs. Flat pin blocks have a flat surface. The pin blocks have pins extending out of the cone surface or the flat surface. Flexible inking cord material is threaded between the pins in a chosen pattern. The inking material collects liquid ink by absorption or surface adhesion, which is transferred to a base by rolling or stamping. Multisided sequence stamps include left and right handles and multisided blocks disposed between the two handles. The blocks have relief designs on their peripheral side surfaces, either formed directly on the surface of the blocks or formed on rings that slide over the blocks. The blocks (and pattern rings if used) are many sided (e.g. hexagonal) with different embossed designs on different sides.

Abstract: A dual function tooling tray having a movable center section includes a perimeter frame having four sides, a first frame member spaced from a first side of the perimeter frame, and a second frame member spaced from a second side of the perimeter frame. The first side and the second side of the perimeter frame are parallel with one another. The tooling tray further includes a third frame member extending between and secured to the first frame member and the second frame member. The third frame member is configured to support at least one squeegee blade. The third frame member is configured be to be moved from a first position from the first frame member and the second frame member and installed in a second position on the first frame member and the second frame member, with the second position being spaced from the first position.

Abstract: A cover glass printing pad, a method of manufacturing the cover glass and the cover glass are provided. The cover glass printing pad includes a jig portion, a body portion in which a first surface contacts the jig portion and at least a part of a second surface is parallel to the first surface and a pad portion including an outer frame portion disposed on at least one side of the body portion and protruding in a first direction perpendicular to the second surface.

Abstract: A printer includes a shaft-shaped member, a movable support portion, paired strain detection units, and a control unit. The shaft-shaped member that sets a path of an ink ribbon from a supplying shaft to a winding shaft is provided at least on a downstream side between an upstream side and the downstream side in a conveying direction at a position where a thermal head and a platen face each other with a recording medium interposed therebetween, and the ink ribbon is hung around the shaft-shaped member. The movable support portion movably supports at least one end portion of the shaft-shaped member in a direction in which a tension of the ink ribbon varies. The paired strain detection units are provided at both end portions of the shaft-shaped member, and an output thereof is varied according to a strain of the shaft-shaped member. The control unit controls movement of the shaft-shaped member in a direction in which a difference in output between the paired strain detection units becomes small.

Abstract: A print board with a grid for receiving one or more rubber or silicone stamps of various shapes, sizes, and patterns. A base board is provided to receive the print board, and the base board allows the print board to be turned upside down and pressed to a piece of paper or other surface once all inserted stamps have been secured. Each stamp has an upper portion which includes a shape, a letter, or some other pattern which can be stamped to a surface. Each stamp also has a lower portion which wedges into a selected opening within the grid of the print board.

Abstract: A cartridge configured to be mounted on a tape printer, the cartridge includes a ribbon roll around which an ink ribbon is wound, and a cartridge case configured to accommodate a tape roll around which a tape is wound and that accommodates the ribbon roll, in which the cartridge case includes a third case portion, a first case portion that constitutes a tape roll accommodating portion accommodating the tape roll between the first case portion and the third case portion, and a second case portion that is separated from the first case portion and accommodates the ribbon roll between the second case portion and the third case portion, and the first case portion is configured to open and close the tape roll accommodating portion.

Abstract: A movable cart includes a housing configured to move along a horizontal surface and a plurality of shelves supported by the housing Each shelf of the plurality of shelves is configured to move between a retracted in which the shelf is positioned within the housing and an extended position in which the shelf extends from the housing. The movable cart further includes a sensing system configured to determine whether each shelf of the plurality of shelves is in the retracted position and a type of item supported by the shelf. Other aspects of the movable cart are further disclosed.

Abstract: Disclosed is a precision cut printing screen in which the features of a printing pattern are defined on a sheet material by a plurality of apertures within a target printing boundary. Also disclosed is a method of making the printing screen.

Abstract: A machine for shaping an initially tubular cylindrical preform to form a non-round shape in registration with printed or similarly applied surface decoration or the like on the preform, comprises: a conveyor for carrying a series of the preforms; a tool table having a plurality of tool stations between which the preforms are conveyed by indexed motion of the conveyor, the tool table being reciprocable along an axis towards and away from the conveyor, to bring forming tools at the tool stations into and out of operative engagement with the preforms; a registered shaping tool at at least one of the tool stations operatively arranged to deform the preforms to an out-of-round shape; at least one sensor operatively arranged to determine the angular orientation of each preform in a plane normal to the reciprocation axis; at least one reorientation actuator operatively arranged to cause relative rotation between each preform and the registered shaping tool, whereby the registered shaping tool and the preforms are br

Abstract: A method of screen printing an image on a substrate, such as rotary screen printing, includes using a printing screen having a surface structure at its printing side and attached imaged lacquer layer having open areas defining the image to be printed, where the image includes pixel based design elements, the printing screen has a parallelogram pattern, preferably an orthogonal pattern, of screen openings and the open areas of the imaged lacquer layer representing the pixel based design elements are arranged in an orthogonal raster.

Abstract: There is provided a method of cleaning a print roller and a system for performing the same. The method comprises providing an ultrasonic cleaning bar having at least one ultrasonic energy source. The ultrasonic cleaning bar is engaged with an ink-carrying surface of the print roller, the ultrasonic cleaning bar and the ink-carrying surface defining a trough therebetween for containing a cleaning fluid. A cleaning routine is executed, the cleaning routine comprising: filling the trough with the cleaning fluid so that the cleaning fluid contacts the ink-carrying surface; activating the ultrasonic energy source for a period of time to remove contaminants from the ink-carrying surface of the print roller so that the contaminants become suspended in the cleaning fluid; and draining the suspension of cleaning fluid and contaminants from the trough. The method comprises executing the cleaning routine at least two times in succession before cleaning of the print roller is complete.

Abstract: Stitching is applied to a shoe or shoe component and then printed. The stitching may be formed from a continuous thread. After printing, a portion of the continuous thread may have a different color or appearance from other portion(s) of the continuous thread.

Abstract: An embossing system designed to mark metal marker plates. The embossing system includes a feeder system that presents a marker plate, a drive sub assembly secured to the feeder system, and a gripper system that grips the marker plate from the feeder system. The feeder system has a fixed side wall secured to a base plate and a moveable side wall positioned a distance from the fixed side wall. Marker plate guides are secured to the side walls for providing support to a stack of marker plates positioned in the feeder system. Adjustable feed gates are secured to the sidewalls to accommodate adjustments for maker plate thickness variations.

Abstract: A printing pad machine that can print a 360 degree image on a cylindrical object. That objective is achieved by modifying a conventional printing pad machine. The modifications include using a single angled print pad having a contact wall having a first height, a lower wall having a second height that is less than the first height, an angled surface interconnecting the contact wall's distal end and the lower wall's distal end, and a base wall interconnecting the contact wall's proximal end and the lower wall's proximal end and connectable to a base. Another modification includes a flexion-extension hinge positioned between the support member and the base or the support member and the overhead gantry and controlled by the adjustable and moveable actuator system and power source. That objective can be accomplished with the conventional printing pad machine using the single angled print pad.