Protection of components of digital printing systems

The printing system of 2, wherein when not in collision with the foreign matter, an orientation of the elongated blade is closer to a perpendicular orientation relative to the upper surface of the ITM than to an orientation that is parallel to the upper surface of the ITM.

The printing system of 1, wherein the at least one collision-prevention action that is performed in response to the quantified intensity of the impact includes lifting the print bar.

A method of operating a printing system wherein a print bar forms ink images upon a rotating intermediate transfer member (ITM) and the ink images are subsequently transported by the ITM to an impression station where they are transferred to substrate, the method comprising:

• a. quantifying an intensity of an impact between (i) foreign matter that is transported by the rotating ITM, if present at a detection location upstream of the image-forming station and downstream of the impression station and (ii) a detection element of a detection system, the detection element being disposed at the detection location;
• and
• b. contingent upon the quantified intensity of the impact exceeding a threshold value, responding to the detection by performing at least one collision-prevention action to prevent a potential collision between foreign matter and the print bar.

The printing system of 1, wherein the at least one collision-prevention action includes moving a surrogate object to a location upstream of the print bar so that the foreign matter collides with the surrogate object instead of with the print bar.