Independent inker control and method

Abstract

A method of inking a substrate in a printing press is provided. The printing press includes a plurality of printing units, each printing unit includes a blanket cylinder, a plate cylinder and an inker. The method includes the steps of running the plate cylinder, blanket cylinder and inker at a press speed, driving the inker independently, printing on a substrate with a desired ink film thickness at the press speed and stopping the press for a press stop event. Stopping the press further includes stopping the inker at a maximum stop rate, stopping the plate cylinder and blanket cylinder at a normal stop rate and moving the plate cylinder and blanket cylinder into an off impression position. The method further includes ramping the plate cylinder and blanket cylinder up to a desired press speed, ramping the inker up to press independently so as to match the speed of plate cylinder, returning the plate cylinder and blanket cylinder to an on impression position and printing on the substrate with the desired ink film thickness at the desired press speed.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.