Metering roller for an ink station assembly of a decorator and a method of decorating a container with the decorator

A method of decorating an exterior surface of a container with an inking assembly of a decorator, comprising:

• providing an ink fountain with a supply of ink;
• providing an ink roller to receive ink from the ink fountain;
• providing a metering roller positioned downstream from the ink roller;
• providing an adjustment mechanism configured to move the metering roller from a first ink transfer position to a second dwell position;
• providing a transfer roller positioned downstream from the metering roller;
• providing a plate cylinder with a printing plate positioned downstream from the transfer roller;
• moving the metering roller to the first ink transfer position with the adjustment mechanism by moving an axle of the metering roller closer to both an axle of the transfer roller and to an axle of the ink roller such that the metering roller receives ink from the ink roller and transfers ink to the transfer roller, wherein in the first ink transfer position the metering roller does not contact the ink roller but is spaced from the ink roller by a first distance to form an ink gap, and wherein while in the first ink transfer position the adjustment mechanism keeps the metering roller in continuous contact with the transfer roller;
• transferring ink from the transfer roller by intermediate rollers to the printing plate;
• transferring ink from the printing plate to a transfer blanket affixed to a blanket wheel of the decorator;
• transferring ink from the transfer blanket to the exterior surface of the container;
• and
• actuating the adjustment mechanism to transfer the metering roller from the first ink transfer position to the second dwell position by moving the axle of the metering roller away from the axle of the transfer roller and away from the axle of the ink roller.