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AssigneesXerox Corporation, Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated
InventorsGregory J. Kovacs, Steven E. Ready, David K. Biegelsen, Lars E. Swartz, Christopher Paulson
Estimating the term…
Methods of leveling ink on substrates and apparatuses useful in printing are provided. An exemplary embodiment of the methods includes irradiating ink disposed on a surface of a porous substrate with radiation emitted by at least one radiant energy source. The radiation heats the ink to at least a viscosity threshold temperature of the ink to allow the ink to flow laterally on the surface to produce leveling of the ink. The ink is heated sufficiently rapidly that heat transfer from the ink to the substrate is sufficiently small during the leveling that ink at the substrate interface is cooled to a temperature below the viscosity threshold temperature thereby preventing any significant ink permeation into the substrate.
A method of leveling ink on a substrate, the method comprising irradiating ink disposed on a first surface of a porous substrate with first radiation emitted by at least one first radiant energy source, the first radiation heating the ink to at least a viscosity threshold temperature of the ink to allow the ink to flow laterally on the first surface to produce leveling of the ink, the ink being heated sufficiently rapidly that heat transfer from the ink to the substrate is sufficiently small during the leveling that ink at the substrate interface is cooled to a temperature below the viscosity threshold temperature thereby preventing any significant ink permeation into the substrate.
A method of leveling ink on a substrate, the method comprising irradiating a gel ink disposed on a surface of a substrate with first radiation emitted by at least one first radiant energy source, the surface being non-permeable with respect to the gel ink, the first radiation rapidly heating the gel ink to at least a viscosity threshold temperature of the gel ink to allow the gel ink to flow laterally on the surface to produce leveling of the gel ink.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.