Dampening system

A process of removing hickeys and preventing ghosting by applying dampening solution to the plate cylinder of a lithographic printing press of the type having a continuous dampening system comprising the steps of:

• a. rotating the plate cylinder;
• b. providing a supply of dampening fluid and a pan roller having a hydrophilic surface,
• c. providing a dampening fluid applying roller in continuous engagement with said pan roller and in contact with the surface of the plate cylinder and providing an ink receptive roller in engagement with the dampening roller;
• d. causing a metered supply of dampening fluid to be on the surface of the dampening fluid applying roller;
• e. removing hickeys by rotating the dampening roller at a different surface speed than the plate cylinder causing a wiping action between the surfaces of the dampening roller and the plate cylinder;
• and
• f. preventing ink emulsification by rotating the ink receptive roller in engagement with the dampening roller at a different surface speed than the plate cylinder.

In a contact lithographic press having an inking system in continuous contact with a continuous contact dampening system having a plurality of rotating dampening rollers for feeding ink and dampening fluid continuously to a rotatable plate cylinder, a device for dampening the rotatable plate cylinder of the lithographic press of the type having drive means for rotating said plate cylinder and for rotating the other rollers in the lithographic press system comprising;

• (a) a pan supply of dampening fluid,
• (b) pan roller means rotating in said supply of dampening fluid,
• (c) metering means in cooperative relationship with said pan roller adapted to meter the thickness of dampening fluid,
• (d) one of said dampening system rollers being in continuous contact with said pan roller,
• (e) one of said dampening system rollers being a rotating contact roller in contact with said rotating plate cylinder and adapted to receive on its surface metered dampening fluid whereby dampening fluid is transferred from said dampening fluid supply to said rotating contact roller and to said plate cylinder,
• (f) an ink receptive roller and means mounting said ink receptive roller in surface contact with said rotating contact dampening roller;
• (g) means to remove foreign particles from said plate cylinder by said rotating contact dampening roller, said means to remove including means in said drive means to rotate said plate cylinder and said rotating contact dampening roller at different surface speeds to provide a wiping action between said plate cylinder and said rotating dampening roller, and
• (h) means to control ink emulsification and reduce ghosting, said means to control and reduce including said ink receptive roller being in contact with said rotating contact dampening roller, and means in said drive means to rotate said ink receptive roller and said plate cylinder at different surface speeds.