Ink jet image transfer lithographic
AssigneeDataproducts Corporation
InventorSamuel D. Zerillo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ink jet image transfer lithographic apparatus is coupled to a source for supplying graphics and textual material to an ink jet printhead. The ink jet printhead melts a hydrophobic solid ink and sprays the ink onto a lithographic plate in a predetermined pattern. The solid ink solidifies upon contact with the plate. The plate is then mounted in a lithographic press for lithographic printing. As an alternative, the ink jet printhead may be mounted in a lithographic press for imaging a lithographic plate mounted in the lithographic press or for spraying ink directly onto the plate cylinder of the press. A succession of lithographic plates may be provided around the plate cylinder of the lithographic press and each plate discarded after use, leaving a clean plate on the plate cylinder.
Claims41
An apparatus for producing lithographic plates comprising:
- a source of solid hydrophobic true ink;
- a printhead connected to the source of hydrophobic ink to dispense the hydrophobic ink onto a lithographic plate by melting the ink and spraying droplets of the melted ink onto the plate in a predetermined pattern, wherein the ink solidifies essentially upon contact with the plate;
- and
- means coupled to the printhead for receiving information containing the predetermined pattern, and for controlling the spray of droplets from the printhead in response to such received information.
A method of making a lithographic plate comprising the step of dispensing solid hydrophobic true ink from a printhead onto a lithographic plate in a predetermined pattern by melting the ink in the printhead and spraying droplets of the melted ink onto the plate in the predetermined pattern, wherein the ink solidifies essentially upon contact with the plate.
A method of producing lithographic copies comprising:
- inputting a predetermined pattern into an information source for indicating the pattern to be printed on the lithographic copies;
- communicating the predetermined pattern to a printhead;
- dispensing solid hydrophobic true ink from the printhead onto a lithographic plate by melting the ink in the printhead and spraying droplets of the melted ink onto the plate in the predetermined pattern, wherein said ink solidifies essentially upon contact with said plate;
- mounting the lithographic plate onto a lithographic printing press;
- and
- printing the copies by running the press.
An apparatus for producing lithographic copies comprising:
- a lithographic printing press having a lithographic plate surface;
- a source of solid hydrophobic true ink;
- a printhead mounted on the printing press and connected to the source of hydrophobic ink to dispense the hydrophobic ink by melting the ink and spraying droplets of the melted ink onto the plate surface in a predetermined pattern, wherein the ink solidifies essentially upon contact with the plate surface;
- an information source for determining the pattern to be printed by the printhead on the plate surface;
- and
- communication means coupling the information source and the printhead for providing pattern information from the information source to the printhead.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.