Abstract: A novel apparatus for compressing viscous material through openings in a stencil is disclosed. The novel apparatus has a compression head cap which provides a contained environment to direct and to aid the flow of pressurized viscous material through the openings in the stencil.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an automatic closing device for air passage holes in a support cylinder, or compression sleeves used in printing applications. The automatic closing devices of the invention are inserted into the thickness of the wall of the cylinder and comprises a support, a seat with an interior passage and a valve mobile in translation in the support. The support is capable of assuming two positions, the first in which the valve comes into tight contact with the aforementioned seat and the other in which it is retracted so as to allow for a passage.

Abstract: A solid-ink printing original plate which comprises a substrate and an image comprising ink dots formed on the substrate, and which is produced by a process comprising the steps of: melting a solid ink that is a solid at a room temperature; and jetting the melt of the solid ink onto a substrate to form ink dots, wherein the solid ink has a penetration index of not more than 5 at a room temperature. Also disclosed is a process for producing the solid-ink printing original plate.

Abstract: A direct drawing type lithographic printing plate precursor comprising a water-resistant support having provided thereon an image-receiving layer, the image-receiving layer being formed from a dispersion comprising: an inorganic pigment comprising silica particles having an average particle diameter of from 1 to 6 &mgr;m and ultra-fine particles of inorganic pigment having an average particle diameter of from 5 to 50 nm, at a weight ratio thereof of from 40:60 to 70:30; and a hydrophilic binder resin comprising at least one modified hydrophilic binder resin which is modified with a silyl functional group represented by the following formula (I): —Si(R)n(OX)3-n  (I) wherein R represents a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 12 carbon atoms; X represents an aliphatic group having from 1 to 12 carbon atoms; and n represents 0, 1 or 2. Also disclosed are methods of preparing a lithographic printing plate using the direct drawing type lithographic printing plate precursor.

Abstract: A substrate is coated with a first material which is soluble in a first solvent, whereupon a second material which is strongly adherent to the first material and insoluble in the first solvent is selectively applied by an ink jet printer. The substrate is then developed in the first solvent to establish the image. In a preferred embodiment the substrate is hydrophilic, the first material is a negative working photosensitive material, and the second material is a transparent adhesive, which permits curing the first material by exposure to actinic light after the development step. The adhesive is then removed. In an embodiment directed to a waterless plate the substrate includes a surface coating of silicone, and the first material is a primer which promotes adhesion of a second material in the form of an oleophilic adhesive which is selectively applied. The primer is then developed to expose the silicone on the non-image areas.

Abstract: Negative-working and positive-working lithographic plate constructions include a durable hydrophilic layer; a hard, inorganic, oleophilic layer; and a substrate, which may be metal. If a metal substrate is employed, an overlying layer provides sufficient thermal insulation to prevent substantial dissipation of heat—which is necessary to achieve ablation—into the substrate. In the case of oleophilic layers employed in negative-working embodiments, certain ceramic materials are suitable, and an intermediate tying layer may be used to anchor a hydrophilic ceramic layer to the oleophilic layer. In positive-working embodiments, the oleophilic layers may be refractory compounds doped with oleophilic material. An advantage to the latter embodiments is the ability to apply traditional means of correction following imaging.

Abstract: A printing plate precursor for direct receipt of an image-wise applied ink receptive layer the precursor having a desorbable surfactant adsorbed on at least one surface in an amount effective to improve the resolution of the subsequently image-wise applied ink receptive layer. The printing plate precursor can be used to prepare a printing plate having improved resolution. The printing plate may be prepared by (a) applying a desorbable surfactant to at least one surface of a printing plate substrate, (b) removing non-adsorbed surfactant from the surface, (c) applying a fluid composition containing an ink receptive material onto at least a portion of the surface in the form of a desired image, thereby providing an ink receptive image layer; and (d) removing the desorbable surfactant from any area of the surface which does not form part of the desired image.

Abstract: Disclosed is the stamp device 11 in which the average pore diameter of the porous base plate used for the stamp plate 1 and the processed stamp plate 10 is set in a range of 10 &mgr;m-40 &mgr;m, the hardness of the stamp surface 2 is set in a range of 20°-50°, the thickness of the porous base plate is set in a range of 1 mm-4 mm, and the annealing temperature of the porous base plate is set in a range of 40° C.-60° C., thereby various stamping characteristics are improved.

Abstract: Manufacturing methods of liquid crystal display elements and manufacturing apparatuses for same which prevent an insulating substrate from sliding out of position and which attract and fix the substrate firmly and flatly by removing deformations of the substrate with substantially strong forces, even when a thin-type glass substrate or a thin-type plastic substrate is employed. A blower is used to exert attractive forces on the insulating substrate placed on a stage at a second attraction opening. A vacuum pump and a switching valve are used to exert the attractive forces first at the first attraction openings of the first group, then at the first attraction openings of the first and second groups, and finally at the first attraction openings of the first, second, and third groups on nearly the entire insulating substrate.

Abstract: A stencil for use in fabricating semiconductor devices is disclosed that has an aperture having a first portion extending from a first side thereof and a second portion extending from a second side thereof to minimize the shear stress between the material extruded therethrough and the stencil. The stencil allows for material to be extruded through the top of the stencil to the surface of the substrate and not contact the wall of the second portion of the aperture of the stencil. Since the material only contacts a small area of the first portion of the aperture near the top of the stencil, the material remains on the substrate and not in the aperture of the stencil.

Abstract: The method for printing is carried out by creating pressure pulses at individual points of an ink layer which has been applied onto the surface of a continuous smooth plate, focusing a light beam of a laser on those points from the side of the opposite surface of the plate. Pressure pulses are developed due to the light hydraulic effect at the border of the surface of a plate, made of transparent material, and a layer of ink applied thereon, or due to the conversion of light radiation into acoustic when the light beam of the laser is absorbed by material which is not transparent for its wavelength. The printer has a device for deflecting the light beam over the surface of the plate to excite pressure pulses in the ink layer at points predetermined by a program.

Abstract: A method of imaging a substrate is disclosed, the method consisting of applying a first layer to the substrate to form a “print pattern” and a second step of presenting an “addressed design” to the substrate both within an outside the area of the print pattern. In the method of the invention, within the print pattern the addressed design is formed into a “durable image material” forming at least a part of the design layer and outside the print pattern, the addressed design does not form a durable image material.

Abstract: A positive-working lithographic printing plate which is imageable by dual infrared lasers has a substrate which absorbs modulated, imaging infrared laser radiation of one wavelength to heat the substrate and an adjacent coating. The substrate has a coating which is a material which will react and form gaseous reaction products which ablate or propel the coating from the substrate upon reaching a threshold reaction temperature. The coating is transparent to the infrared radiation of the one wavelength and contains a dye which absorbs unmodulated, non-imaging infrared laser radiation of another wavelength to heat the coating. The unmodulated, non-imaging infrared laser radiation heats the coating in the imaged areas to a temperature below the threshold temperature and the heat from the substrate further heats the coating to a temperature above the threshold temperature and ablates the coating in the imaged areas.

Abstract: A method of printing using a press having first and second printing units and responsive to electronic data includes the steps of running the press to cause first and second printing units to produce first and second printed components, respectively, on a substrate, stopping the press and inspecting the first and second printed components to determine a degree of misregistration of the first printed component relative to the second printed component caused by substrate growth. Original electronic data representing an image to be printed by the press are modified in dependence upon the degree of misregistration. The press is subsequently operated in accordance with the modified electronic data to print the image with a reduced degree of misregistration.

Abstract: A negative working non-ablative lithographic printing plate precursor is provided which includes a metal support such as an anodized aluminum plate and provided thereon a layer or a stack of layers, wherein at least one layer includes a near infrared light absorbing compound which is the main component of the layer(s). As the amount of other reactive compounds besides the near infrared light absorbing compound is less than 20% by weight, excellent-storage stability is obtained. In a highly preferred embodiment the layer or stack of layers is substantially free from the other reactive compounds. The material is very suitable for computer-to-plate and computer-to-press applications as it can be used as a printing master directly after exposure or may be processed by rinsing with plain water.

Abstract: A printing sleeve removal device has at least one band for wrapping around at least part of a printing sleeve and a tightening device connected to the at least one band for tightening the at least one band. Also provided is a method for axially removing a printing sleeve including placing a sleeve removal device over the printing sleeve, tightening the sleeve removal device so as to grasp the sleeve, and axially pulling on the removal device so as to axially remove the printing sleeve.

Abstract: A stencil printer includes an ink drum having a hollow cylindrical porous support and a pair of flanges supporting opposite ends of the support. Annular elastic members are respectively affixed between the inner periphery of the porous support and the outer circumferences of the flanges. When the ink drum is pressed against a press roller, the elastic members deform and cause an ink roller disposed in the ink drum to be displaced. As a result, the ink roller contacts the inner periphery of the porous support brought into contact with and positioned by the press roller. The ink roller and the inner periphery of the ink drum can therefore contact each other under uniform pressure without the rigidity of the drum being reduced and without any shaking.

Abstract: A method of making printing plates for color newspaper printing almost free from causing color dislocation. The present invention includes an exposure step 12 of directly drawing a desired image on a plate material E from a plate feeding step 11 by laser beam according to image drawing signals from a computer, a development and fixing step 13 of treating the exposed surface to produce a printing plate 5 with the desired image, and a bending and boring step 14 of forming bent edge stoppers 5a, 5b at the two edges of the printing plate 5 for mounting the plate 5 on the plate cylinder 4 and at least one positioning hole 5c for positioning the plate 5 on the plate cylinder 4. In the exposure step 12, pilot marks P in a desired shape are drawn near the two edges of the plate material E at the same time that a desired image T is drawn on the image drawing area Q of the plate material E according to image drawing signals from the computer.

Abstract: A method is provided for preparing a negative working lithographic printing plate precursor by applying a dry powder, containing a light absorbing compound in an amount not less than 50% by weight, on a metal support such as an anodized aluminum plate. The light absorbing compound is preferably carbon, soot or an infrared dye. In one embodiment of the invention, the dry powder may be rubbed in on the surface of the metal support. In another embodiment a layer of soot is applied on the metal support by contacting the surface of the support with a flame. In still another embodiment, a metal support is contacted with a transfer material consisting of a support and a dry layer of a light absorbing compound such as carbon. By applying heat or light, the dry powder is converted into a hydrophobic substance at the printing areas of the plate.

Abstract: A mesh cloth, which does not bring about clogging and has uniform openings throughout the whole surface, and a screen-formed plated article, which can be stably used as a printing screen and a cylinder for rotary printing, and is useful as an electromagnetic wave shielding material and a shadow mask. The mesh cloth is produced by using a core-sheath composite filament using a sheath comprising a component having a lower melting point than a core. A metal plating is applied on the mesh cloth, in which the core threads of the crossing threads at the point of intersection of the crossing threads are adhered to each other by melting the sheath component, the surface thereof is uniformly covered with the sheath component of the crossing threads, and the thickness of the cloth at the point of intersection is from 85 to 60% of the total thickness of the diameters of the crossing threads.