Abstract: A system for improving water fastness of printed documents is described, including a paper transport configured to move paper along a path throughout the system for improving water fastness, a precoat application subsystem located along the path of the paper transport may include a precoat composition applicator adjacent to or in contact with the paper transport, a printhead configured to eject ink onto a surface of the paper in an imagewise fashion, and a dryer.

Abstract: An apparatus for preserving image quality printed on a substrate comprising a chilling device arranged to chill substrates moving proximate thereto, at least one marking material device, the marking material device arranged to form images on the substrates, and a media transport system configured to move the substrates past the chilling device and further configured to move the substrates past the at least one marking material device to form images on the substrates.

Abstract: An inkjet printer includes a printhead maintenance station that injects a high pH fluid into the inkjet stacks of the printheads in the printer to prevent ink contamination during long periods of printer inactivity. The printhead maintenance station includes a printhead cap having an opening, a printhead vent blocking member configured to block manifold vents in the printhead when the printhead engages the printhead vent blocking member, and a valve. The valve is positioned within the printhead cap to enable the printhead cap to hold a volume of high pH fluid entering the printhead cap through the opening in the printhead cap when the valve is closed and to enable egress of the high pH fluid when the valve is opened. A printhead is lowered onto the printhead cap and a vacuum applied to an ink supply line to the printhead to inject the high pH liquid into the printhead.

Abstract: A fuser fluid composition is disclosed, including a non-fluorinated functional silicone fluid, and a non-fluorinated non-functional silicone fluid, where the non-fluorinated functional silicone fluid is present in the fuser fluid composition in an amount of from about 1 wt % to about 30 wt % based on a total weight of the fuser fluid composition, and the non-fluorinated non-functional silicone fluid is present in the fuser fluid composition in an amount of from about 50 wt % to about 99 wt % based on a total weight of the fuser fluid composition. The non-fluorinated functional silicone fluid may include an amine-functional group. A cleaning web and a fusing subsystem for a printing system may include a material impregnated with the fuser fluid composition.

Abstract: A process including providing a paper substrate; disposing a water soluble precoat composition onto all or a portion of the paper substrate to provide a treated paper; applying an image onto the treated paper using a toner or an aqueous ink to provide an imaged paper; wherein the water soluble precoat composition forms a temporary barrier between the toner or aqueous ink and the paper substrate; and wherein, during a paper pulping process, the water soluble precoat composition dissolves thereby releasing the toner or aqueous ink from the paper substrate.

Abstract: Systems and methods for verifying the authenticity of a printed document are disclosed. The methods include receiving an identification of a portion of the printed document that includes a document signature, and receiving a document signature corresponding to the printed document from a data store. The document signature includes images of one or more first satellite droplet patterns (SDPs) that each include a plurality of ink satellite droplets that were randomly formed during printing of a print image on the printed document. The methods further include receiving an image of the portion of the printed document, analyzing the image to identify one or more second SDPs in the printed document, and authenticating the printed document by determining whether at least some the one or more first SDPs match a corresponding one or more second SDPs.

Abstract: A fuser fluid composition is disclosed, including a non-fluorinated functional silicone fluid, and a non-fluorinated non-functional silicone fluid, where the non-fluorinated functional silicone fluid is present in the fuser fluid composition in an amount of from about 1 wt % to about 30 wt % based on a total weight of the fuser fluid composition, and the non-fluorinated non-functional silicone fluid is present in the fuser fluid composition in an amount of from about 50 wt % to about 99 wt % based on a total weight of the fuser fluid composition. The non-fluorinated functional silicone fluid may include an amine-functional group. A cleaning web and a fusing subsystem for a printing system may include a material impregnated with the fuser fluid composition.

Abstract: An inkjet printer and method of operating the inkjet printer modifies the image content data for an ink image to be printed on a media sheet to maintain the operational status of each inkjet in the inkjet printer. For each inkjet that is operated less than an operational threshold, image data is added to the image content data to operate each inkjet at the operational threshold.

Abstract: An inkjet printer includes air baffles on opposite sides of each printhead in the process direction. The air baffle on the upstream side of the printheads directs a positive air flow toward a conveyor moving media past the printheads and the air baffle on the downstream side pulls a negative air flow on the opposite side. The positive and negative air flows produce an air flow across the nozzle plates of the printheads that sweep all of the ink drops of a sneeze pattern and satellite ink drops produced from the sneeze pattern ink drops into the air baffle pulling the negative air flow. A kit is provided to retroactively modify an existing inkjet printer to produce an air flow that sweeps the nozzle plate of a printhead between the air baffles of the kit.

Abstract: A printer and method of operating the printer adjusts firing signal waveforms for inkjets that eject at least one ink drop into one or more ink images produced by the printer to reduce the ink drop variability of the ink drops ejected into the one or more images. A range of acceptable ink drop volumes is identified using a nominal ink drop volume and a maximum ink drop volume deviation. The firing signals for the inkjets outside of this identified range are adjusted to shift the ink drops ejected by these inkjets into the range of acceptable ink drop volumes.

Abstract: An imaging blanket comprises a base comprising an elastic polymer and sulfur. A barrier layer is on the base and a surface layer is on the barrier layer. The surface layer comprises an elastomer and a platinum catalyst.

Abstract: A print configuration system will receive, from a first sensing modality, a first message indicating that a user has entered a first region where a print device is located. The system will access a profile for the user to identify a first configuration task, and it will cause the print device to perform the first configuration task. The system will later receive, from a second sensing modality that is different from the first sensing modality, a second message indicating that the user has entered a second region. The second region includes the print device and is a subset of the first region. In response to receiving the second message, the system will cause the print device to perform a second task that is different from the first configuration task.

Abstract: An anti-curl system 1 including a printer configured to deposit a liquid ink and an anti-curl composition onto a print substrate, wherein the liquid ink includes a colorant and is configured for deposit on the print substrate to form a print image, and wherein the anti-curl composition does not include a colorant and is configured for deposit on a non-print area of the print substrate, wherein the non-print area of the print substrate includes at least a portion of a non-print margin area configured for non-deposition of the liquid ink and deposition of the anti-curl composition.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a substrate cooling unit for use with a duplex aqueous ink jet image forming device. The substrate cooling unit including a first cooling roll. a first transport belt, a second cooling roll positioned downstream of the first cooling roll in a process direction and a second transport belt. The first and second transports belts include a bottom layer of a fiber mesh impregnated with a polydimethylsiloxane, where the fiber mesh is selected from cotton, polyester, and nylon. The first and second transport belts include an optional intermediate adhesive layer and an optional top layer of silicone having an extractable level of less than 4 percent. The substrate cooling unit includes an invertor.

Abstract: An inkjet printer and method of operating the inkjet printer ejects ink drops onto coated areas of a media transport exposed in the inter-document zones between successive media sheets passing through a print zone of the printer to maintain the operational status of the inkjets ejecting the ink drops. Absorbent material is positioned outside of the print zone to contact the media transport and remove the ejected ink drops from the coated areas. The absorbent material can be configured about two rollers so operating an actuator to rotate one of the rollers pulls absorbent material from a supply roll to a take-up roll to provide clean absorbent material for removal of the ejected ink drops from time to time.

Abstract: An inkjet printer and method of operating the inkjet printer modifies the image content data for an ink image to be printed on a media sheet to maintain the operational status of each inkjet in the inkjet printer. For each inkjet that is operated less than an operational threshold, image data is added to the image content data to operate each inkjet at the operational threshold.

Abstract: The present teachings include a flow coating solution, a fuser member and an image forming apparatus. The fuser member includes a substrate and flow coating solution applied onto the substrate. The outer layer includes a flow coating solution including a fluoroelastomer, a nucleophilic crosslinking agent and a non-functional polydimethylsiloxane having the formula: wherein n is from 100 to 20,000. The flow coating solution includes an effective solvent selected from the group consisting of N-methyl 2-pyrrolidone, dimethyl formamide, and dimethyl sulfoxide.

Abstract: Systems and methods for encoding data in a machine-readable image (e.g., an artificial fingerprint) are disclosed. The methods include segmenting a plurality of bits included in a bit stream to be encoded into a plurality of blocks such that each block includes two or more of the plurality of bits. The plurality of blocks are used to generate a minutiae template comprising a plurality of minutiae points each of which is representative of a local ridge discontinuity in a fingerprint, and is associated with a location and an orientation. An artificial fingerprint is generated from the minutiae template, and stored in association with the bit stream. The artificial fingerprint encodes the bit stream and comprises a plurality of ridges and a plurality of valleys.

Abstract: Systems and methods of extracting information encoded in a machine-readable image (e.g., an artificial fingerprint) are disclosed. The methods include receiving a machine-readable image and generating a minutiae template from the machine-readable image. The minutiae template includes a plurality of minutiae points, each being representative of a local ridge discontinuity in a human fingerprint. The methods further include identifying, for each of the plurality of minutiae points, a minutia point orientation and a minutia point type, and retrieving, from a data store, a plurality of blocks associated with the identified minutiae point orientations and minutiae point types where each block includes two or more bit values. The retrieved plurality of blocks are concatenated to generate a bit stream encoded in the machine-readable image.

Abstract: A system and method of characterizing drops of printing material in a 3D printer is disclosed, which includes ejecting a drop from a nozzle of an ejector in the 3D printer, intersecting the drop with a beam while the drop is in-flight, and determining one or more physical characteristics of the drop. The system and method may include where the drop intersects the beam between the nozzle and a substrate of the 3D printer or the drop intersects the beam between the nozzle and a top surface of a part printed by the 3D printer. The beam is located between an emitter and a detector are each positioned external to one or more side walls of a 3D printer. A physical characteristic of the drop may include drop size, drop shape, or drop mass and comparison with a reference.