Method and apparatus for imaging using an intermediate transfer member

Imaging apparatus comprising:

• an image bearing surface;
• an intermediate transfer member positioned in operative association with the image bearing surface;
• a developer which provides multiple liquid images on said image bearing surface the images comprising carrier liquid and toner;
• a first transfer station at which said multiple liquid images are transferred from the image bearing surface onto the intermediate transfer member;
• and
• a second transfer station at which the multiple liquid images are transferred from the intermediate transfer member onto a substrate including a source of heat which heats the intermediate transfer member and the liquid image so as to cause the toner in the images to adhere to the substrate and wherein the intermediate transfer member and the liquid image are cooled sufficiently such that the adhesion of the toner to the intermediate transfer member is less than the cohesion of the toner.

Imaging apparatus comprising:

• an image bearing surface having a developed image formed thereon;
• an intermediate transfer member positioned in operative association with the image bearing surface, wherein said intermediate transfer member comprised a thin walled cylinder having end portions and a cylindrical image transfer surface therebetween and wherein said thin walled cylinder is backed by a solid structural support at said end portions and which is unbacked by a solid structural support between said end portions and wherein said thin walled cylinder is a pneumatically pressurized thin walled cylinder;
• a first transfer station at which the image is transferred from the image bearing surface onto the intermediate transfer member;
• and
• a second transfer station at which the image is transferred from the intermediate transfer member onto a substrate.

Imaging apparatus comprising:

• an image bearing surface;
• an intermediate transfer member positioned in operative association with the image bearing surface, wherein said intermediate transfer member comprises a thin walled cylinder having end portions and a cylindrical image transfer surface therebetween and wherein said thin walled cylinder is backed by a solid structural support at said end portions and which is unbacked by a solid structural support between said end portions and wherein said thin walled cylinder is a pneumatically pressurized thin walled cylinder;
• a developer which provides said multiple images on said image bearing surface the images comprising carrier liquid and toner;
• a first transfer station at which said multiple images are transferred from the image bearing surface onto the intermediate transfer member;
• and
• a second transfer station at which the multiple images are transferred from the intermediate transfer member onto a substrate.

Imaging apparatus comprising:

• an image bearing surface having a developed image formed thereon;
• an intermediate transfer member positioned in operative association with the image bearing surface, wherein said intermediate transfer member comprises a thin walled cylinder having end portions and a cylindrical image transfer surface therebetween end wherein said thin walled cylinder is backed by a solid structural support at said end portions and which is unbacked by a solid structural support between said end portions and wherein said intermediate transfer member includes means for axially tensioning said thin wall cylinder;
• a first transfer station at which the image is transferred from the image bearing surface onto the intermediate transfer member;
• and
• a second transfer station at which the image is transferred from the intermediate transfer member onto a substrate.

A method for transfer of a liquid image from an image bearing surface onto a substrate comprising:

• providing a liquid image on said image bearing surface, the liquid image comprising carrier liquid and toner;
• positioning an intermediate transfer member in operative association with the image bearing surface;
• first transferring said liquid image from the image bearing surface onto the intermediate transfer member;
• and
• subsequently transferring the liquid image from the intermediate transfer member onto a substrate and including heating the intermediate transfer member and heating the liquid image so as to cause the toner to adhere to the substrate and cooling the intermediate transfer member sufficiently such that the adhesion of the toner thereto is less than the cohesion of the toner.

An imaging method comprising:

• sequentially providing multiple liquid images on an image bearing surface, the liquid images comprising carrier liquid and toner;
• positioning an intermediate transfer member in operative association with the image bearing surface;
• transferring the multiple liquid images from the image bearing surface onto the intermediate transfer member;
• and
• transferring the multiple liquid images from the intermediate transfer member onto a substrate and including heating the intermediate transfer member and heating the liquid images so as to cause the toner in the images to adhere to the substrate and cooling the intermediate transfer member sufficiently such that the adhesion of the toner thereto is less than the cohesion of the toner.

An imaging apparatus for printing an image from a latent image formed on a latent image bearing surface comprising:

• developing means for developing said latent image with a liquid developer, comprising carrier liquid and charged pigmented particles, to form a developed image;
• an intermediate transfer member having formed thereon a release coating for the pigmented particles and which receives said developed image from said latent image bearing surface for subsequent transfer to a final substrate;
• and
• a heat source which heats said developed image during its transfer from said latent image bearing surface to said intermediate transfer member.

Imaging apparatus comprising:

• an image bearing surface having formed thereon a liquid image comprising carrier liquid and toner which solvates the carrier liquid at a solvation temperature above room temperature;
• an intermediate transfer member positioned in operative association with the image bearing surface;
• a first transfer station at which the liquid image is transferred from the image bearing surface onto the intermediate transfer member;
• and
• a second transfer station at which the liquid image is transferred from the intermediate transfer member onto a substrate including a source of heat which heats the liquid toner image to a temperature above the solvation temperature, below the melting point of the toner and below the boiling point of the carrier liquid prior to the transfer of the image to the substrate.

An imaging apparatus for printing an image from a latent image formed on a latent image bearing surface comprising:

• developing means for developing said latent image with a liquid developer, which comprises carrier liquid and charged pigmented particles, to form a developed image;
• an intermediate transfer member having formed thereon a release coating which receives said developed image from said latent image bearing surface prior to subsequent transfer to a final substrate;
• and
• a heat source which heats said developed image during its transfer from said latent image bearing surface to said intermediate transfer member.