WO2007035562A2 - High-quality, high-speed ink-jet printing method and apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An ink-jet printing method and apparatus is disclosed that provides the dispensing of ink onto different areas of an image in different modes for high resolution detail than for standard or lower resolution portions of the image. The different modes may use different dot sizes, scan techniques, printhead speeds or combinations thereof. High-speed piezo printheads can print the different dot sizes in response to a programmed controller. White or another added color can be printed along with other colors of ink by using fewer printheads to print selected colors, freeing jets for the printing of white or the other color. Spray nozzles or other coating applicators are provided spaced from the printhead to spray clear coating over dispensed ink to control the gloss or texture of areas of the printed substrate. Alternating printing and coating is used to enhance perceived relative depth or other properties of objects in the image.

Description

HIGH-QUALITY, HIGH-SPEED INK-JET PRINTING METHOD AND APPARATUS

[0001] This PCT application claims the benefit of US Provisional Application Serial

No. 60/718,070, filed September 16, 2005.

Field of the Invention:

[0002] This invention relates to multi-color, wide- format, ink-jet printing, and particularly, to ink-jet printing with UV curable or other polymerizable or radiation curable ink.

Background of the Invention:

[0003] Wide-format ink-jet printers are gaining increased use for printing signs, posters, banners and other large, printed items where the number of copies is limited and the advantages of direct, digital printing from computer files is convenient and economical. Printing technology advances have provided options for improving print quality, along with the ability to print on a increasing variety of substrates. The advances have led to printing machinery that is large and expensive. As a consequence, printing speed and machine through-put has become a major factor in the cost of the printed products. This has led to the need for making compromises among printing speed, machine cost and printing quality.

[0004] With ink-jet printing using a given type of printing equipment, images are either printed quickly to produce images of standard quality and more slowly to produce images of higher quality. Image quality requirements are usually determined by the content of the images being printed and the nature of the substrate on which the images are to be printed. For example, with wide-format printing of multi-color images, particularly photographic images, a low dot resolution file can be printed at high speed on an ink jet printer to produce image quality that is visually acceptable. Usually, this printing uses an array of printheads to deposit a fraction of the dots of an image in each of a plurality of passes to minimize artifacts, particularly artifacts caused by inconsistencies among the multiple nozzles of a given color.

[0005] Some image content requires greater detail than color photographs. Text, for example, is usually in a single color ink printed in high contrast against a background. Such text requires a higher detail printing techniques than do multi-colored photographs or unsatisfactory edges will result. Often text or other solid color graphics appear on a portion of an image, over a multi-colored photographic background. The portion may be relatively small and be of usually of one or only a few solid colors. When such text is printed with the high-speed and low-detail suitable for the background pictorial image, the edges of the text are often irregular and insufficiently sharp for satisfactory text printing. High printhead speed, for example, results in the distribution of satellite dots off target. Satellite dots are small droplets that accompany the main drop of ink jetted from an ink jet printhead, which usually propagate at slower speeds from the printhead toward the substrate, but at the same transverse speeds as the printhead, thereby tending to drift downstream in the direction of movement of the fast moving printhead. [0006] Images containing text can be printed to achieve acceptable text quality. For high quality text printing and other high quality or high definition applications, for example, slower printhead speed is helpful in producing crisp, clean edges. Printing with a higher dot resolution is also helpful. When using these techniques to print photographic images containing text or single color designs, use of these higher printing standards, however, can greatly reduce the throughput of the printing process.

[0007] Whether printing photographic images, text or solid graphics, print quality can depend on the desired color. Light colors, for example, often rely on white from the underlying substrate to lighten a solid primary CMYK color in four systems in which ink colors of cyan, magenta, yellow and black are deposited. A common technique is to produce light colors by depositing spaced dots of ink that allow the white to show through, which, from a distance, the eye of a person viewing the image will integrate to see a light color. When images so printed are displayed in a situation where they might be viewed more closely, however, a dotty appearance results, particularly with the darker cyan and magenta inks of a CMYK color set. This has led to the use of six color sets, in which two additional light versions of cyan and magenta are added, and to eight color sets, in which light versions of each of the four CMYK colors are included. Increasing from a four-color set to a six-color set or an eight-color set requires going to a larger, more costly printheads and related hardware. [0008] Even with a six or eight color palate, there are situations where the printing of high quality images might not be easy to accomplish. Where the substrate is a dark or a clear material, the substrate cannot be relied upon to provide white when needed. Thus, the addition of white ink is sometimes used. Adding another color ink (white) has involved the addition of printheads or the reassignment of existing printheads from one of the colored inks to white ink. The addition of printheads results in additional cost, while the substitution of white ink for colored ink in existing printheads has required additional printhead passes to cover the same area, costing time and throughput. Changing to fewer colors, such as from a six-color or eight-color palate to four colors, in order to free up heads to add white is also an alternative, which compromises the advantages of the multi-color printing scheme. For example, one-third of the heads can be used to print in white, either leading or trailing the primary colors, thereby saving the cost of upgrading the equipment;, but at the cost of printing speed by requiring additional passes to maintain coverage. Similar problems are presented when seeking to add spot colors. [0009] The above considerations are particularly applicable to ink-jet printing with polymerizable or radiation curable inks, including UV curable inks. Developments in printing with these inks have been described, for example, in U.S. patent nos. 6,312,123, 6,467,898, 6,523,912, 6,626,317, 6,702,438, 6,755,518, and 7,073,902 by applicant's assignee, hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.

[0010] UV cm-able inks and related inks have the tendency to rest on the surfaces of substrates, particularly smooth-surfaced substrates such as rigid foanαboard, flexible vinyl, and other such widely used substrate materials. The drops of jetted UV ink are often frozen by exposure to curing radiation immediately after being jetted onto a substrate surface, leaving the dots with a three-dimensional quality in which each of the frozen dots has a height dimension. This tends to refract impinging light on a finished printed product. The refraction of light by the surface diminishes the apparent gloss of the surface, which, depending on the scanning scheme used, can vary locally across the surface. This can cause what is known as a "lawn-mower effect". Further, different colors can stack in layers, that can result in color shifting when viewed at different angles. In addition, cure differences can cause different flattening of the drops across the substrate that can result in a gloss banding effect on the substrate. Late or delayed curing is sometimes used to allow drop spread, which increases gloss, but which might otherwise undermine image sharpness and quality.

[001 IJ Transparent coatings have been used to reduce the 3-D effects of UV curable inks. This can be achieved by post-print lamination of a transparent film or the application of a clear liquid varnish-like coating, sometimes referred to as a "wet laminate". Typically, applying a varnish-like material in a post-print process may be achieved by spraying a layer of the clear coating liquid across the substrate. Such coatings create a surface gloss. In some cases, this is done by substituting a varnish for ink in some printheads to dispense varnish in a spot application. Spot application of varnish is used sometimes used to emphasize portions of images, particularly areas of an image that appear excessively flat. Gloss variations and unwanted 3-D effects of UV inks remain a problem adversely affecting print quality. Summary of the Invention:

[0012] A primary objective of the present invention is to enhance the quality of ink-jet printing, particularly with UV curable inks and on wide- format substrates.

[0013] One particular objective of the present invention is to print text and other images that call for high detail printing while sacrificing little or no loss of printing speed in the printing of multicolor photographic content or other portions of images that require less detail. [0014] Another objective of the present invention is to provide for the inclusion of additional color inks, particularly white ink, in the printing of multi-color images, without undue loss of print speed or print quality, or without undue increase in the cost or complexity of the printing equipment.

[0015] A further objective of the present invention is to manage the properties of UV inks, including texture and gloss.

[0016] According to certain aspects of the present invention, a method of ink jet printing is provided that includes separating text and other fine detail from background or other lower detail portions of the image, and using different printing parameters in the printing of the separated portions. A use of this separation can be to optimize the printing of more detailed portions of an image while efficiently and efficiently printing less detailed portions of an image. For example, printhead speed, scan methods or dot resolution, or combinations thereof, maybe different for printing different portions of the same image. The separation may, for example, involve using different layers of an image. Separate storing and processing of the higher and lower detail image portions may be employed to allow the lower detail portions of the image to print in a standard or relatively lower quality mode at high-speed, while the text or other high detail portions of the image are selectively printed more slowly and in a sharper mode to maximize overall image quality while maintaining high overall printer throughput.

[0017] hi certain embodiments of the invention, an image that includes both high and low detail portions is printed in at least two modes. High detail portions that include text or other high detail often cover only on a portion of the area to be printed, while a low detail image such as a photographic background often occupies the remainder of the print area. Such an image can be printed, for example, with the text printed in a high detail mode and the background in a low detail mode. For example, the high detail mode can be printed at a slow speed while the low detail mode is printed at a higher speed. The modes may also differ in ways that differently optimize the high and low detail printing, for example, by printing text and single color designs in fewer passes or in a unidirectional or single pass mode while printing color photographic background in more passes or in a bidirectional mode. Optionally, the high detail portions can be printed at a higher or otherwise different dot resolution than the low detail portions. [0018] According to other aspects of the present invention, a method of ink jet printing is provided that prints with an additional color using the same number of printheads while avoiding the loss of print speed, hi the described embodiments of the invention, the dot resolution of, and the number of printheads dedicated to, one or more colors are reduced to free printheads for use in printing with white or another additional color.

[0019] According to embodiments of the invention, the number of heads and the dot resolution for some colors, for example for the four primary colors, cyan, magenta, yellow and black, is maintained, while the dot density and number of heads are reduced for each of one or more other colors, for example the light cyan and light magenta colors in a six or eight color set, thereby freeing the other half of the heads originally dedicated to those other colors, which in turn can be used for printing white, a spot color or another ink or coating. Image quality is enhanced, while print speed remains undiminished and the number of printheads required remains unchanged. [0020] For example, in a six color CMYK prinlhead set, the number of heads for light cyan and light magenta can be cut in half and those colors are printed with half the dot resolution. Optionally, the dot size may be changed for the light magenta and light cyan. One sixth of the heads will thereby be made available to jet white ink. The white ink can be used to cover dark substrate surfaces, to dither of those colors cut in half. The raster image processor (RIP) can rip the image to account for different resolution for the lighter colors with higher resolution for the primary colors.

[0021] According to further aspects of the present invention, a method of ink jet printing is provided in which clear coating spray nozzles are provided separate from the ink-jet printheads to spray varnish or other clear coating or wet laminate over the deposited ink. The heads may be air or airless paint-spray quality nozzles, which are considerably less expensive than the ink-jet printhead jets. The paint spray nozzles may be located on the transversely moveable printhead carnage, and can be placed on one or both sides of the ink jet printheads. m most cases it will be preferred to locate the spray nozzles somewhat downstream of the printheads so that UV jetted ink can be fully applied to an area of the substrate and cured, at least partially, by UV light before the coating is sprayed over it.

[0022] According to additional embodiments of the present invention, the varnish- like coating may be applied either over the final ink-jet printing application, or maybe applied over an early or intermediate layer of printing where further ink-jet printing can be applied over the cured clear coating layer. Such multi-layered application of printing and coating can provide selective control of the gloss or texture of portions of an image, allowing the creation of enhanced effects such as the appearance of visual depth of portions of the image, thereby creating a three- dimensional effect.

[0023] For some applications, the varnish-like coating can be applied by roller or other contact applicator rather than by spraying. Such applicators can be located on or adjacent the printhead carriage bridge, and be fixed or movable thereon. Typically, the coating is UV curable and exposed to UV light to set or cure it.

[0024] These and other objectives and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention. Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments:

[0025] According to one aspect of the present invention, ink jet printing is carried out by separating text and other fine detail from pictorial background or other lower detail portions of the image. The separation may be implemented at the digital file level, for example, by storing a multiple layer image. Separate storing and processing of such detail allows the lower detail portions of the image to print at high-speed, while the text or high detail portions of the image can be printed slowly to maximize overall image quality.

[0026] An image can, for example, include both high and low detail portions, such as general, multi-color, background photographic content, with an overlayed area of text or graphic content. Such an image can be printed in at least two modes. High detail portions often includes text or other high detail that covers only on a portion of the area to be printed. The larger extent of the image may be that of a background multi-colored photograph, that may occupy the remainder of the print area. Such an image can be printed, for example, with the printheads printing in a standard detail mode at relatively high speed to print the photographic background. Then the printing may shift into a high-quality, relatively low speed mode, in which text can be printed at high detail over or adjacent the background. Typically, the high detail mode prints at a slow speed while the low detail mode prints at a higher speed, which can be controlled to maximize the throughput of the machine, while delivering the necessary quality required by the detail. The modes may also differ in ways that differently optimize the high and low detail printing. [0027] When a printhead is printing only low detail portions of the image, it may use a high speed, low detail print mode. When the printhead is printing an area that includes text or other high detail areas included in the width of the printhead scan, a high detail mode is used to print at least the high detail areas. If, when printing the high detail areas, a portion of the width of the printhead overlies an area containing low detail portions of the image, those areas may be printed in a low detail mode in a manner compatible with the simultaneous printing of the high detail regions by the printhead.

(0028 J A first mode may be a default mode in which an image, for example a background image, may be printed using standard high speed, lower detail parameters. These parameters may include a high printhead speed, for example 20 or 30 inches per second, and may exceed 100 cm per second. Such parameters may also include multiple pass printing in which half of the dots are printed in each of two passes, or one- third of the dots are printed in each of three passes, or one-forth in four passes, etc. The multiple passes may be bidirectional or unidirectional. This mode is used when the image portion over which the entire width of the printhead is of the same resolution of, for example, 600 dpi.

[0029] In a second mode, a relatively slow printhead speed may be used, for example, of 5 inches per second. In this second mode, the detail portion may, alternatively or in addition, be printed unidirectionally. As a result, the sharper images will result, making text, solid color, and other high detail subject matter clearer. Alternatively or in addition, the second mode can use an image stored at higher resolution, for example, at 1200 dots per inch (dpi), while the background is stored at 600 dpi, or even 300 dpi or 150 dpi. Alternatively, the detail portion maybe stored in postscript format while the background images is stored as a low quality raster image. [0030] Also in this second mode, alternatively or in addition, the high detail portion of the image may be printed in a single pass or in a different number of passes than that in which the background image is printed. Even if multiple passes are used in this mode, the high detailed portions may be printed unidirectionally while the background is being printed bidirectionally. [0031] If, when printing in the second mode, only a portion of the width of the printhead is printing on the high detail area, the low detail areas over which the printhead scans may be printed according to the detail of the first mode, even through moving at the slower speed, since the printhead is moving at the slow speed established to print the high detail. The detail may be completed in a single pass, with subsequent high speed passes completing the multi-pass printing of the low detail portions.

[0032] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, an image having low detail and detailed portions is printed on an ink-jet printer with the printer printing in the first high speed mode as long as no text or other high quality content is being printed. This might include, for example, printing at high speed, for example 50 to over 100 inches per second, while depositing one-third of the dots of a background image. Then, when text or other detail is encountered, the printhead slows to, for example, slow speed, for example 5 to 25 inches per second, and deposits all of the dots of the detail portion. At the same time, any areas that are not covered by the text of other detailed portions of the image may be printed at the same rate of one-third of the dots with the priπthead, however, still moving at the slower than 25 inch per second speed. Then, when the text or other detail to be printed during the current pass is completed, an additional two bidirectional scans may be executed at the higher speed, thereby completing the image of a given row. As a result, the speed of the printing is optimized with high quality printing being applied to the text-bearing or other areas that require it. The printer may print entire rows in the same mode or may change mode during the scanning of a row.

[0033] Hardware for implementing the multi-mode printing described above is available, with most features involving primarily software implementation. Printheads may be piezoelectric ink- jet printheads that are known in the wide-format, ink -jet printing industry for printing with UV curable inks. Printheads capable of jetting inks of variable dot sizes, particularly in the range of 600 to 1200 dpi and higher, are also commercially available in high-speed, piezoelectric printheads that dispense a plurality of rapidly dispensed small ink drops that combine in different numbers to produce ink dots of different sizes.

[0034] In another aspect of the present invention, select colors, for example, light colors, are printed at lower resolution to free printheads for printing with another color, especially white, hi this way, white can be added to color palate by, for example, reducing the number of heads to half for the select colors, with the other half of the heads that would otherwise be normally dedicated to the selected colors used for white or another added color. With 6-color CMYK, the colors of light cyan and light magenta are selected to be printed at half the resolution than for the four primary CMYK colors with white added via the freed up jets. With this arrangement, six colors with white can be printed at the same speed and with the same number of printheads otherwise used for six-color CMYK alone. The larger or smaller light color dots are perceived as being of adequate resolution, with the standard primary CMYK colors providing detail. The addition of white can enhance the printing of light colors and facilitate printing onto dark or transparent substrates.

[0035] For example, a printhead assembly may have 36 heads or nozzles for six color printing, 6 heads per color. The 6 heads of a given color might be arranged, for example, in two rows of three nozzles each at 50 dot per inch (dpi) spacing, and staggered so that when both rows pass a print area, printing takes place with 100 dpi density. Six passes will produce a dot density of 600 dpi. The four colors CMYK will be printed at 600 dpi, but only one row of three heads will be used for each of the two lighter colors, light cyan and light magenta, which will print at 300 dpi in six scans, with the light cyan and light magenta set to a dot size that can be larger or smaller or the same. The six remaining heads will be set to print white at 600 dpi. spacing, at either small or large dot size, depending on the effect desired and on substrate coverage requirements. This arrangement is capable of printing at the same speed as the basic six color printhead configuration.

[0036] Another aspect of the invention deals with controlling surface texture or gloss. To provide such control, clear coating spray nozzles are provided on the transversely moveable printhead carriage on the trailing side of the printhead (on both sides for printheads that print bidirectionally) to spray varnish or other clear coating over ink that has been jetted by the printheads. The spray heads may be air or airless paint-spray quality nozzles. The sprayed coating is a clear varnish or varnish-like liquid coating. It is typically sprayed onto the printed substrate over the final ink-jet printed image. The coating layer may be applied locally, that is selectively, and cured, to enhance the texture or gloss of selected printed areas on the substrate. [0037] Alternatively, the clear varnish-like coating may be applied over a layer of printing, for example, over the first or an intermediate layer, then cured, with further ink-jet printing of one or more color layers contemplated over the cured clear coating layer. The clear coating may be a UV curable varnish-like coating that can be cured, at least partially, by UV curing lamps on the printhead carriage.

[0038] Layered application of the clear coating material can be used to provide selective control of the gloss or texture of portions of an image, which can produce the visual appearance of depth of portions of the image and thereby create a three-dimensional effect, with some layers appearing to come to the foreground while others can appear to recede into the background. [0039] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the application of the present invention herein is varied, that the invention is described in preferred embodiments, and that additions and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the invention. The following is claimed:

Claims

1. A method of ink j et printing comprising: printing a first portion of a substrate in a first print-quality mode; and printing a second portion of the substrate in a second print-quality mode.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein: the first portion of the substrate is a relatively high detail portion; and the second portion of the substrate is a less detailed portion.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein: the printing in the first print-quality mode includes printing a relatively high print quality at a relatively low printhead speed; and the printing in the second print-quality mode includes printing a relatively low print quality at a relatively high printhead speed.

4. The method of claim 1 or claim 3 wherein: the printing in the first print-quality mode includes printing unidirectionally at a relatively low printhead-speed; and the printing in the second print-quality mode includes printing bidirectionally at a relatively high printhead speed.

5. The method of any of claims 1 through 4 wherein: the printing in the first print-quality mode includes printing in a single pass mode at a relatively low printhead speed; and the printing in the second print-quality mode includes printing in a multi-pass mode at a relatively high printhead speed.

6. The method of any of claims 1 through 5 wherein: the printing in the first print-quality mode includes printing at a relatively high dot resolution; and the printing in the second print-quality mode includes printing at a relatively low dot resolution.

7. The method of any of claims 3 through 6 wherein: when printing the first portion of a substrate in the first print-quality mode, printing a third portion of the substrate with a relatively low print quality at the relatively low printhead speed; then further printing the third portion of the substrate with the relatively low print quality at the relatively high printhead speed.

8. The method of any of claims 3 through 7 for ink jet printing on a substrate an image that includes text or other high detail portions and photographic, background or other less detailed portions, the method further comprising: maintaining a digital file of the image in which high resolution data of detailed portions of the image is separated from low resolution data of less detailed portions of the image; printing, from the high resolution data, detailed portions of the image on the substrate in the first print-quality mode; and printing, from the low resolution data, less detailed portions of the image in the second print- quality mode.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising: when printing the detailed portions of the image in the first print-quality mode, printing other less detailed portions of the substrate that lie in the path of the printhead with relatively low print-quality while at the relatively low printhead speed; then further printing the other less detailed portions of the image in at least one additional pass at the relatively low print quality at the relatively high printhead speed.

10. The method of any of claims 3 through 9 wherein, when printing in the second print quality mode: printing, in a given scan of a printhead carriage, with ink of a plurality of different colors plus white, wherein, in the given scan: at least one color is jetted onto a substrate from a plurality of heads at a given dot resolution, while at least one other color is jetted onto the substrate from fewer heads and at a higher dot resolution than the at least one color, and white is jetted onto the substrate from a plurality of other heads.

11. A method of ink jet printing comprising: printing, in a given scan of a printhead carriage, with ink of a plurality of different colors plus white, wherein, in the given scan: at least one color is jetted onto a substrate from a plurality of heads at a given dot resolution, while at least one other color is jetted onto the substrate from fewer heads and at a higher dot resolution than the at least one color, and white is jetted onto the substrate from a plurality of other heads.

12. A method of ink jet printing comprising: printing, in a given scan of a printhead carriage, with ink of a plurality of different colors, wherein, in the given scan: at least one color is jetted onto a substrate from a plurality of heads at a given dot resolution, while at least one other color is jetted onto the substrate from fewer heads and at a higher dot resolution than the at least one color, and another color is jetted onto the substrate from a plurality of other heads.

13.. The method of claim 10 through claim 12 wherein: the at least one color is jetted onto a substrate from a given number of heads at a given dot resolution, while the at least one other color is jetted onto the substrate from half the given number of heads and half the given dot resolution.

14.. The method of any of claims 10 through 13 wherein the plurality of different colors is and wherein: four colors are jetted onto a substrate, each from six heads at a given dot resolution, while two colors are jetted onto the substrate, each from three heads and half the given dot resolution; and white is jetted onto the substrate from six heads.

15. The method of any of claims 10 through 14 wherein: the plurality of different colors is six and includes cyan, magenta, yellow, light cyan, light magenta and black; and the colors of cyan, magenta, yellow and black are jetted onto a substrate, each from six heads at a given dot resolution, while light cyan and light magenta are jetted onto the substrate, each from three heads and half the given dot resolution; and white is jetted onto the substrate from six heads.

16.. The method of any of the above claims wherein: the printing includes jetting a plurality of drops of UV curable ink across an area of a substrate; and the method further comprises: at least partially curing the ink on the area of the substrate by exposing the ink to UV light; and spraying a liquid coating material over the at least partially cured UV curable ink on the area of the substrate.

17. A method of ink jet printing comprising: jetting a plurality of drops of UV curable ink across an area of a substrate; at least partially curing the ink on the area of the substrate by exposing the ink to UV light; and spraying a liquid coating material over the at least partially cured UV curable ink on the area of the substrate.

18. The method of claim 16 or claim 17 further comprising: jetting a plurality of drops of UV curable ink over the liquid coating sprayed onto the substrate; and at least partially curing the ink jetted over the coating by exposing it to UV light.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising: spraying a liquid coating material over the at least partially cured UV curable ink jetted over the sprayed liquid coating.

20. An ink-jet printing apparatus having a plurality of ink-jet printheads and a controller programmed according to the method of any of the above claims.

21. The ink-jet printing apparatus of claim 20 wherein the ink jet printheads are high speed piezoelectric printheads capable of dispensing, in according with and in response to signals from the controller, drops of ink that produce dots of over range of controller-selectable sizes.

22. The ink-jet printing apparatus of claim 20 or claim 21 further comprising a liquid coating spray nozzle spaced from the printheads and configured to direct a spray of coating material over ink that has been dispensed onto the substrate by the printheads.

23.. The method of any of claims 1 through 15 wherein: the printing includes jetting a plurality of drops of UV curable ink across an area of a substrate; and the method further comprises: at least partially curing the ink on the area of the substrate by exposing the ink to UV light; and applying, by rolling or other contact application, a liquid coating material over the at least partially cured UV curable ink on the area of the substrate.

24. A method of ink jet printing comprising: jetting a plurality of drops of UV curable ink across an area of a substrate; at least partially curing the ink on the area of the substrate by exposing the ink to UV light; and applying, by rolling or other contact application, a liquid coating material over the at least partially cured UV curable ink on the area of the substrate.