Printing device and method, in which a humidity promoter is applied prior to the ink-repellent or ink-receptive layer

A device to generate a print image on a carrier material, comprising:

• a pre-treatment station which applies a wetting-aiding substance in molecular layer thickness on a surface of a print carrier, a surfactant with hydrophilic molecule sections being used as the wetting-aiding substance, and a layer thickness for the wetting-aiding substance being smaller than about 0.1 μm;
• an image generation station which structures the surfactant to create regions used for forming ink-repelling regions corresponding to a structure of the print image to be printed;
• a fountain solution application station which coats the surfactant on the surface of the print carrier with a layer which is one of ink-repelling and ink-attracting, said layer comprising a fountain solution, and forming said ink-attracting and ink-repelling regions;
• an ink application station wherein ink is applied which adheres to the ink-attracting regions and is not absorbed by the ink-repelling regions;
• a transfer printing station at which the ink is transferred onto the carrier material;
• before a new structuring on the same surface of the print carrier, a cleaning station which cleans the surface of the print carrier;
• and
• said fountain solution application station being located between said image generation station and said ink application station.

A method to generate a print image on a carrier material, comprising the steps of:

• covering a surface of a print carrier with a wetting-aiding surfactant layer;
• in a structuring process generating what will become ink-attracting regions and ink-repelling regions via structuring of the surfactant layer corresponding to a structure of the print image to be printed, and wherein to structure the surfactant layer, radiation of a light source is directed via a control element per image point onto the surfactant layer dependent on a control signal;
• after the structuring process covering the surface with a fountain solution layer to create said ink-attracting and ink-repelling regions;
• applying at the surface ink that adheres to the ink-attracting regions and that is not absorbed by the ink-repelling regions;
• and
• transferring the applied ink onto the carrier material.

A device to generate a print image on a carrier material, comprising:

• a pre-treatment device that applies a wetting-aiding surfactant layer onto a surface of a print carrier;
• an image generating station in which in a structuring process what will become ink-attracting regions and ink-repelling regions are generated in the surfactant layer corresponding to a structure of the print image to be printed;
• a dampening station which applies a fountain solution layer on said surface to create said ink-attracting regions and ink-repelling regions;
• an ink application station wherein ink that adheres to the ink-attracting regions and that is not absorbed by the ink-repelling regions is applied on the surface;
• an ink transfer station wherein the applied ink is transferred onto the carrier material;
• the image generating station having a light source whose radiation is directed via a control element per image point toward the surface of the print carrier;
• and
• the radiation being dependent on a control signal;
• and
• said dampening station being located between said image generation station and said ink application station.