DRY INK FOR DIGITAL PRINTING
Pigment based particles in powder form intended to be used as colourants in a digital print formed by applying dry colourants on a surface, bonding a part of the colourants with a binder and removing the non-bonded colourants from the surface. A panel with a surface including a digitally formed print of macro colourants including a particle body and colour pigments attached to the surface of the particle body is also described. The colourants are arranged in patterns with pigments on an upper and lower surface of the particle body.
1 - 18 . (canceled)
19 . Dry ink comprising macro colorant particles for bonding to a surface, each macro colorant particle comprising:
a particle body comprising a thermoplastic, and
color pigments or a dye,
wherein the macro colorant particles are configured to be bonded to the surface by:
a liquid print applied on the surface and a binder, or
a thermosensitive binder.
20 . Dry ink as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the binder is provided in the liquid print.
21 . Dry ink as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the macro colorant particles comprise said binder or thermosensitive binder.
22 . Dry ink as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the binder or thermosensitive binder is provided in the surface.
23 . Dry ink as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the binder comprises a thermosetting resin or a thermoplastic, and wherein the thermosensitive binder comprises a thermosetting resin, a thermoplastic, or a wax.
24 . Dry ink as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the particle body is a thermoplastic particle body.
25 . Dry ink as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the particle body is coated with thermoplastic.
26 . Dry ink as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the particle body comprises a spray-dried thermoplastic.
27 . Dry ink as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the macro colorant particles are provided as a powder.
28 . Dry ink as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the color pigments are bonded to the particle body by a thermoplastic.
29 . Dry ink as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the thermoplastic are thermoplastic particles.
30 . Dry ink as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the thermoplastic comprises PVC powder.
31 . Dry ink as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the color pigments are provided in the particle body.
32 . Dry ink as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the color pigments are attached to a surface of the particle body.
33 . Dry ink as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the macro colorant particles are configured to be bonded to the surface by:
a liquid print applied on the surface by digital drop application head and a binder, or
a thermosensitive binder being activated by a heating print head.
34 . Dry ink as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the surface is a surface of a paper, a foil, a board material, a textile material, a wall paper, a thermoplastic layer, or a core, a foil or a transparent protective layer of an LVT floor tile.
35 . Dry ink as claimed in claim 19 , wherein liquid print comprises at least one of water, glycol, and glycerine.
36 . Dry ink as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the macro colorant particles have a diameter or length larger than 20 microns.
37 . Dry ink as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the macro colorant particles have a pigment content of 10-50% of the total weight of the macro colorant particles.
38 . An equipment to provide a digital print on a surface, comprising a digital drop application head, a dry ink application station, and a dry ink removal station,
wherein:
the digital drop application head is adapted to apply liquid blank ink on the surface;
the dry ink application station is adapted to apply dry ink comprising colourants on the surface;
the blank ink is adapted to bond a part of the dry ink to the surface; and
the dry ink removal station is adapted to remove the non-bonded colourants from the surface.
39 . A method of forming a digital print on a surface wherein the method comprises the steps of:
applying colourants on the surface;
bonding a part of the colourants to the surface with a binder;
removing non-bonded colourants from the surface such that a digital print is formed by the bonded colourants,
applying new colourants with a different colour on the first bonded colourants and on the surface,
bonding a part of the new colourants to the surface with a binder, and
removing non-bonded new colourants from the surface such that a digital print is formed with the first and the new colourants positioned side by side on the surface.