Imaging system with electrophotographic patterning of an image definition material and methods therefor

A variable data lithography system, comprising:

• a photoreceptor;
• a charging subsystem for applying a first electrostatic charge having a value and a first charge polarity to said photoreceptor;
• an exposure subsystem disposed for selective exposure of said photoreceptor to thereby form an exposure pattern from regions that are exposed and unexposed by said exposure subsystem on a surface of said photoreceptor, said exposure altering the electrostatic charge on said photoreceptor to thereby define regions of said photoreceptor having a first electrostatic charge state corresponding to regions not exposed by said exposure subsystem and a second electrostatic charge state corresponding to regions exposed by said exposure subsystem;
• an image definition material subsystem disposed proximate said photoreceptor for selectively applying an image definition material layer substantially over regions of said photoreceptor having said first electrostatic charge state and not over regions having said second electrostatic charge state to thereby form an image definition material image on a surface of said photoreceptor corresponding to said exposure pattern, said image definition material comprising a dampening fluid, said dampening fluid comprising a carrier fluid comprising an electrostatically insulative carrier fluid in which is disposed electrostatically charged particles having a second charge polarity, said first charge polarity being opposite said second charge polarity;
• an imaging member having a reimageable surface formed thereover and having a second electrostatic charge of a value greater than said value of said first electrostatic charge, disposed proximate said photoreceptor such that said image definition material selectively applied over said photoreceptor is transferred to said reimageable surface, forming regions of image definition material separated by regions of no image definition material on said reimageable surface, and thereby transferring said image definition material image from said photoreceptor to said reimageable surface;
• an inking subsystem for selectively applying ink over said reimageable surface such that said ink preferentially occupies regions of image definition material on said reimageable surface to thereby form an inked image corresponding to said image definition material image over said reimageable surface;
• and
• an image transfer subsystem for transferring the ink occupying said regions of image definition material on said reimageable surface to a substrate to thereby transfer said inked image from said reimageable surface to said substrates wherein said regions of said photoreceptor having a first electrostatic charge state have a first charge polarity, and further wherein said image definition material subsystem is configured such that image definition material applied thereby over said photoreceptor comprises electrostatically charged particles having a second charge polarity, said first charge polarity being opposite said second charge polarity.