Anilox patterns and doctor blades for metering high viscosity pigmented inks

A variable lithographic inking method, comprising:

• directly heating high rheology ink within an ink housing of a chamber blade system near an anilox doctor blade attached to the ink housing with a heater spatially separate from an anilox member, the high rheology ink having a first viscosity of at least 100,000 cPs at a first temperature of at least 60° C. and a second viscosity higher than the first viscosity at a second temperature lower than the first temperature, the ink housing having a first end distal the anilox doctor blade and a second end adjacent the anilox doctor blade, the heater configured to heat the high rheology ink at an intersection of the anilox member and the anilox doctor blade to a temperature greater than the second temperature of the high rheology ink at the first end of the ink housing and to reduce the viscosity of the high rheology ink near the intersection and increase ink flow, the heating lowering the viscosity of the heated high rheology ink near the anilox doctor blade at the second end of the ink housing relative to the high rheology ink at the first end of the ink housing;
• metering the heated high rheology ink from the ink housing onto the anilox roll with the anilox doctor blade that contacts the outer surface of the anilox roll;
• and
• transferring the metered high rheology ink from the anilox roll to an imaging member having a conformable reimageable surface layer for variable data lithographic printing.