Method for producing high gloss printed images
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Indigo B.V.
InventorsBenzion Landa, Ishaiau Lior, Itzhak Ashkenazi, Avner Schneider
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Abstract
A method for printing an image on a surface of a substrate having a surface finish defined by a gloss, the method comprising: printing an image on the surface of the substrate, such that image areas thereof have a thickness, when fixed to the substrate and dry, of less than about 6 micrometers of a thermoplastic material; and smoothing the surface of at least a portion of the thermoplastic material.
Claims40
A method for printing an image on a surface of a substrate having a surface finish defined by a gloss, the method comprising:
- printing an image on the surface of the substrate, such that image areas thereof have a thickness, when fixed to the substrate and dry, of less than a surface roughness of the substrate and less than 6 micrometers, the image comprising a thermoplastic material;
- and
- smoothing the surface of at least a portion of the thermoplastic material.
A method for printing an image on a surface of a substrate having a surface finish defined by a gloss, the method comprising:
- printing an image on the surface of the substrate utiling a liquid toner comprising a colored thermoplastic material in a carrier liquid;
- fixing the thermoplastic material to the surface of the substrate;
- and
- smoothing the surface of at least a portion of the thermoplastic material.
A method for printing a substantially uniform gloss image on a substrate comprising:
- printing an image on a surface of the substrate using pigmented liquid toner that forms a toner layer on regions of the surface on which it is printed;
- and
- printing substantially regions of the surface of the substrate that are not printed with portions of the image, with a transparent toner that forms a layer on regions of the surface of the substrate on which the transparent toner is printed.
A method for printing a substantially uniform gloss image on a surface of a substrate using toner comprising:
- applying a layer of thermoplastic material to the substrate surface that covers substantially the entire surface of the substrate, which layer is plastic at a temperature at which the toner is plastic;
- printing the image on the thermoplastic layer using the toner;
- and
- calendering the image at an image temperature at which both the image and thermoplastic layer are plastic.
A method of calendering an image printed on a substrate comprising:
- providing a image comprising a thermoplastic colored material, fixed to a substrate and cooled to a temperature below a temperature at which the material is plastic;
- heating the image to a temperature at which the material becomes plastic;
- and
- passing the image through a nip between a smooth hard roller, at a temperature below that at which the material becomes plastic, and another surface against which the roller is pressed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.