# US 10,500,875 B2 · Inkjet printing method for heat sensitive substrates > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,500,875 B2 - Document ID: US10500875B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/770,766 - Filed: 2016-10-25 - Published: 2018-11-15 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2015-10-27 - Assignees: Agfa NV - Applicants: Agfa NV - Inventors: Luc Bouwens; Mark Barrett; Joris Van Garsse - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10500875B2 ## CPC - B41J 11/0085: {Using suction for maintaining printing material flat (on rotatable drums B41J13/226)} - B41J 2/2117: {Ejecting white liquids} - B41J 3/407: for marking on special material - B41J 3/4078: {Printing on textile} - B41J 11/00214: {using UV radiation} - B41J 11/00216: {using infrared [IR] radiation or microwaves} - B41J 11/007: {Conveyor belts or like feeding devices} - B41J 11/06: Flat page-size platens {or smaller flat platens having a greater size than line-size platens (B41J11/0085 takes precedence)} - B65H 5/224: {by suction belts (B65H11/005 takes precedence)} - B41M 5/0011: {Pre-treatment or treatment during printing of the recording material, e.g. heating, irradiating (after-treatment of prints B41M7/00; printers for treating or overcoating copy materials before, during or after printing B41J11/0015)} - B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS - B65H: HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES - B41M: PRINTING, DUPLICATING, MARKING, OR COPYING PROCESSES; COLOUR PRINTING, (correction of typographical errors B41J; processes for applying transfer pictures or the like B44C1/16; fluid media for correction of typographical errors by coating C09D10/00; printing textiles D06P) ## Abstract An inkjet printing method using an inkjet printing device including a vacuum support for a substrate held down against a support surface of the vacuum support by air suction includes a step of jetting a set of layers with a set of liquids on the support surface to form a pattern with a surface roughness between 2.0 μm and 200.0 μm and rougher than the surface roughness of the support surface, and a step of supporting the substrate at least partially on the pattern. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An inkjet printing method using an inkjet printing device including a vacuum support to hold a substrate on a support surface by air suction, the method comprising the steps of: jetting a plurality of layers with a set of liquids on the support surface to define a pattern having a surface roughness between 2.0 μm and 200.0 μm and rougher than a surface roughness of the support surface; and supporting the substrate at least partially on the pattern; wherein the substrate is a heat-sensitive substrate which loses structural integrity above a temperature of 35° C. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The inkjet printing method according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum support includes a vacuum belt. ### Claim 3 An inkjet printing method using an inkjet printing device including a vacuum support to hold a substrate on a support surface by air suction, the method comprising the steps of: jetting a plurality of layers with a set of liquids on the support surface to define a pattern having a surface roughness between 2.0 μm and 200.0 μm and rougher than a surface roughness of the support surface; and supporting the substrate at least partially on the pattern; wherein the step of jetting the plurality of layers is performed while applying a vacuum suction with the vacuum support via a plurality of vacuum apertures. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The inkjet printing method according to claim 3, further comprising the steps of: inkjet printing on the substrate; and after the step of inkjet printing on the substrate, removing the pattern from the vacuum support. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The inkjet printing method according to claim 4, wherein the step of removing the pattern includes: wiping the pattern mechanically off the vacuum support; and/or wiping the pattern chemically off the vacuum support; and/or scratching the pattern off the vacuum support; and/or peeling the pattern off the vacuum support; and/or gumming the pattern off the vacuum support; and/or burning the pattern off the vacuum support. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The inkjet printing method according to claim 4, wherein the inkjet printing device includes a dryer and a set of inks, and the method further comprises the steps of: drying the plurality of layers jetted on the support surface with the dryer; after the step of supporting the substrate, jetting an image with the set of inks on the substrate; and drying the image with the dryer. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The inkjet printing method according to claim 6, wherein the set of liquids defines a portion of the set of inks. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The inkjet printing method according to claim 7, wherein a jetting viscosity of the set of liquids and/or the set of inks is between 25 mPa·s and 300 mPa·s. ### Claim 9 (depends on 3) The inkjet printing method according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of layers is at least 2. ### Claim 10 (depends on 3) The inkjet printing method according to claim 3, wherein the pattern includes a plurality of dried-and-jetted clusters and each of the plurality of dried-and-jetted clusters is formed by jetting and drying a plurality of droplets of the set of liquids; and each of the plurality of dried-and-jetted clusters has a surface area between 400 μm2 and 100,000,000 μm2. ### Claim 11 (depends on 3) The inkjet printing method according to claim 3, wherein the pattern includes a lattice pattern having a thickness between 5 μm and 300 μm, or a pseudo-random pattern having a thickness between 5 μm and 300 μm. ### Claim 12 (depends on 3) The inkjet printing method according to claim 3, wherein the pattern includes a dimple pattern. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The inkjet printing method according to claim 12, wherein the dimple pattern has a dimple perimeter that defines a circle, ellipse, oval, triangle, square, rectangle, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, rhombus, rectangle, regular polygon, or any polygon including at least three sides. ### Claim 14 (depends on 3) The inkjet printing method according to claim 3, wherein the inkjet printing device includes a gantry coupled to a print head, and the method further comprises the step of: moving the vacuum support, parallel to a plane of the support surface, linearly and relatively to the gantry underneath the print head in a first direction to position the print head above the substrate and the support surface. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The inkjet printing method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of: moving the print head, parallel to the plane of the support surface, from the vacuum support and perpendicular to the first direction, linearly along the gantry and jetting on the substrate or on the support surface. ### Claim 16 (depends on 3) The inkjet printing method according to claim 3, wherein the substrate includes a woven or non-woven textile, leather, plastic foil, or paper which is impregnated with a thermosetting resin.