Printing using color changeable material
Systems and methods for printing data on a substrate including a color-changeable material are provided. One system includes a processing circuit and a device including an energy source. At least a portion of a printed publication is printed on the substrate using a commercial printing press based on fixed data. The device including the energy source is configured to add variable data to the substrate. The processing circuit is configured to receive the variable data and to control the energy source to change a color of the color-changeable material based on the variable data to provide at least a portion of the printed publication. The processing circuit is configured to control the energy source to change the color of the color-changeable material in-line with a flow of the substrate through one of a printing line, a finishing line, or a packaging line of the commercial printing press.
1. A printing press for printing data on a substrate comprising a color-changeable material, the printing press comprising:
a laser diode array comprising a plurality of diodes;
a housing to which the laser diode array is mounted, the housing disposing the laser diode array across at least a portion of the substrate; and
a processing circuit configured to control a parameter of light emitted by each of the plurality of diodes to generate an image comprising a plurality of different colors in the color-changeable material on the substrate, and wherein, for each of the plurality of diodes:
the parameter comprises at least one of a wavelength, a frequency, or a power of the light emitted by the diode; and
the color of a portion of the color-changeable material on which the light is emitted by the diode is determined based at least in part on the parameter of the light.
2. The printing press of claim 1 , wherein the laser diode array spans across an entire width of a printing area of the substrate.
3. The printing press of claim 2 , wherein the laser diode array spans across at least eighty percent of a width of the substrate.
4. The printing press of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is configured to control the laser diode array to generate the image at a resolution of at least 600 dots per inch as the substrate travels past the laser diode array at a speed of at least 1000 feet per minute.
5. The printing press of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is configured to control the diode array to print a printed publication on the substrate.
6. The printing press of claim 5 , wherein the processing circuit is configured to control the diode array to print variable data that changes between at least two copies of the printed publication on the substrate.
7. The printing press of claim 6 , wherein the variable data represents different versions of the printed publication.
8. The printing press of claim 1 , wherein the color-changeable material comprises a coating on the substrate.
9. The printing press of claim 1 , wherein the color-changeable material is at least partially dispersed within the substrate.
10. The printing press of claim 1 , wherein the color-changeable material is at least partially absorbed in the substrate.
11. The printing press of claim 1 , wherein the energy source is disposed on one of the printing line, the finishing line, or the packaging line, and wherein the processing circuit is configured to control the energy source to change the color of the color-changeable material at a speed substantially the same as an operating speed of the one of the printing line, the finishing line, or the packaging line on which the energy source is disposed.
12. The printing press of claim 1 , further comprising one or more roller devices configured to deposit one or more inks onto the substrate, wherein the one or more roller devices are configured to generate a first portion of a printed publication on the substrate and the laser diode array is configured to generate a second portion of the printed publication on the substrate.
13. The printing press of claim 1 , wherein the laser diode array comprises a plurality of adjacent rows of diodes mounted in parallel across the at least a portion of the substrate.
14. The printing press of claim 1 , wherein laser diode array is configured to generate a printed publication having a plurality of pages on the substrate in a page order of the printed publication.
15. A printing press for printing data on a substrate comprising a color-changeable material, the printing press comprising:
a laser diode array comprising a plurality of diodes;
a housing to which the laser diode array is mounted, the housing disposing the laser diode array across at least a portion of the substrate; and
a processing circuit configured to:
receive input data representative of an image to be printed in the color-changeable material on the substrate from a data source, the image comprising a plurality of different colors;
process the input data into a plurality of commands for controlling the plurality of diodes to generate the image in the color-changeable material on the substrate, the plurality of commands configured to control a parameter of light emitted by each of the plurality of diodes, wherein, for each of the plurality of diodes:
the parameter comprises at least one of a wavelength, a frequency, or a power of the light emitted by the diode; and
the color of a portion of the color-changeable material on which the light is emitted by the diode is determined based at least in part on the parameter of the light; and
transmit the plurality of commands to the laser diode array to generate the image on the substrate.
16. The printing press of claim 15 , wherein the laser diode array spans across an entire width of a printing area of the substrate.
17. The printing press of claim 15 , wherein the laser diode array comprises a plurality of adjacent rows of diodes mounted in parallel across the at least a portion of the substrate, and wherein the laser diode array is configured to generate a printed publication at a resolution of at least 600 dots per inch as the substrate travels past the laser diode array at a speed of at least 1000 feet per minute.
18. The printing press of claim 15 , further comprising one or more roller devices configured to deposit one or more inks onto the substrate, wherein the one or more roller devices are configured to generate a first portion of a printed publication on the substrate and the laser diode array is configured to generate a second portion of the printed publication on the substrate.
19. A system for controlling a printing press for printing data on a substrate comprising a color-changeable material, the system comprising:
an input interface configured to receive input data representative of an image to be printed in the color-changeable material on the substrate from a data source, the image comprising a plurality of different colors;
a processing circuit configured to process the input data into a plurality of commands for controlling a laser diode array to generate the image in the color-changeable material on the substrate, the laser diode array comprising a plurality of diodes disposed across at least a portion of the substrate, the plurality of commands configured to control a parameter of light emitted by each of the plurality of diodes, wherein, for each of the plurality of diodes:
the parameter comprises at least one of a wavelength, a frequency, or a power of the light emitted by the diodes; and
the color of a portion of the color-changeable material on which the light is emitted by the diode is determined based at least in part on the parameter of the light; and
an output interface configured to transmit the plurality of commands to the laser diode array to generate the image on the substrate.
20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the laser diode array comprises a plurality of adjacent rows of diodes mounted in parallel across an entire width of a printing area of the substrate, and wherein the at least one circuit is configured to control the laser diode array to generate the image at a resolution of at least 600 dots per inch as the substrate travels past the laser diode array at a speed of at least 1000 feet per minute.