Apparatus for threading intermediate transfer member of printing system

Abstract

To simplify the task of installing and replacing an intermediate transfer member in an indirect printing system.SOLUTION: Two drive members are provided, each located within a respective one of the channels. The two endless drive members are connected for movement in synchronism with one another and each has a respective laterally projecting gripper 54 shaped for form locking engagement with the formations 30 on a leading end of a strip from which the intermediate transfer member is to be formed. Rotation of the drive members during installation of a new intermediate transfer member serves to thread the strip through the printing system by pulling the strip from its leading end.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to printing systems in which droplets of ink are deposited on a movable intermediate transfer member at an image forming station and transferred from the intermediate transfer member to a print substrate at an impression station. In particular, the present disclosure relates to an apparatus for passing the intermediate transfer member between various stations of the printing system. [Background technology]

[0002] Applicant has previously disclosed printing systems and processes in which an image formed from an ink with an aqueous carrier is jetted onto a recirculating intermediate transfer member, which transports the image to an impression station where it is transferred to a desired print substrate (e.g., paper, cardboard, plastic film, etc.). Unlike inkjet printers that deposit ink directly onto a print substrate, such systems can maintain a constant distance between the surface of the intermediate transfer member and the inkjet printhead, and the ink is dried to reduce wetting of the substrate as it is transported by the intermediate transfer member before being transferred to the substrate. As a result, the final image quality on the substrate is less affected by the physical properties of the substrate, and the image remains on the substrate surface, resulting in various other advantages. More details of such systems are disclosed in WO2013 / 132418, filed March 5, 2013, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] This disclosure relates to an apparatus for assisting in the initial installation of an intermediate transfer member in such a printing system, and in its replacement, when the need for replacement arises, without removing various parts of the printing system.

[0004] At the image forming station, the intermediate transfer member in such a printing system needs to pass through the narrow gap between the print head and its own support and drive system, and needs to maintain a fixed distance from the print head while maintaining tension. To achieve this, WO2013 / 132418 describes in Fig. 11 how this structure can be provided along the outer edge of the intermediate transfer member, which is received in a guide channel with a C-shaped cross section, for example, as shown in Fig. 12 below. This structure can be teeth at one end of two fasteners or other types of "beads" that fit into the guide channels, which attach to each outer edge of the intermediate transfer member, and whose engagement in the guide channels serves both to secure the path of the intermediate transfer member as it continues and to maintain lateral tension.

[0005] Once installed, the intermediate transfer member is spliced ​​and begins to function as a long strip, actually a piece that may also be referred to as a blanket. The latter designation will not be used herein since the installed intermediate transfer member may also be referred to as a blanket. After the strip has passed through the entire path through the various stations of the printing system, the ends of the strip are cut to the correct length, if necessary, and the ends are joined together to form a continuous loop. The ends of the strip may be attached to each other by soldering, gluing, taping (e.g., using Kapton® tape, room temperature curing liquid adhesive, or PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) thermoplastic adhesive with adhesive strips overlapping both ends of the strip), or other known methods. The method of joining the ends of the blanket strip to form the intermediate transfer member may result in discontinuities, referred to herein as seams.

[0006] The seams can be of different types: in particular, the ends may be overlapped or a patch may be applied over them, in either case the seams are subsequently treated, for example by grinding, to reduce the thickness.

[0007] To feed this strip into the printing system, the applicant's WO 2013 / 136220 has proposed a method of providing an insert in the guide channel and mounting an external passing mechanism to grip the outer edge formations of the strip and advance the two outer edges at the same speed into their respective guides, as shown in figures 9 and 10 of the latter document. However, even with the aid of such a passing mechanism, it has proven difficult to insert the intermediate transfer member due to buckling and obstructions at the junction resistors.

[0008] In WO2013 / 136220 (see FIG. 13) it is also proposed to provide a loop of cable permanently housed in one or both tracks. The purpose is to fasten the leading end of the exchange belt to the cable and to use the cable to feed the strips through the various tracks. During normal use the cable remains stationary in the track and is only rotated during the installation of a new intermediate transfer member.

[0009] The use of cable loops has been found to be insufficient, and therefore the present disclosure is directed to simplifying the installation and replacement of intermediate transfer members in indirect printing systems. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] According to the present disclosure, there is provided a printing system having an intermediate transfer member in the form of an endless belt for transporting an ink image from an image forming station where an ink image is deposited on the intermediate transfer member to an impression station where the ink image is transferred onto a print substrate, the belt having a feature along both ends thereof of greater thickness than the belt, the feature being received by channels for guiding the belt and maintaining lateral tension of the belt, the printing system further comprising two endless drive members, each located within a corresponding one of the channels, the two endless drive members connected for synchronous operation with each other, each having a laterally projecting gripper shaped to form an engagement with the feature at the leading edge of the strip of the intermediate transfer member being formed, and rotation of the drive member during introduction of a new intermediate transfer member enables the strip to be passed through the printing system by pulling the leading edge of the strip.

[0011] The proposed threading mechanism differs from that disclosed in figures 9 and 10 of WO2013 / 136220 in that the strip for forming the intermediate transfer member is pulled through the printing system by its leading edge instead of being pushed from behind along its desired path. The strip is thus maintained under longitudinal tension, which avoids buckling of the strip if its leading edge encounters resistance or obstruction.

[0012] The present disclosure differs from the embodiment shown in Figure 13 of WO2013 / 136220 in that it uses grippers that engage formations on the strip. This ensures that an imaginary line extending from the two grippers is exactly perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the strip to avoid any tendency for the strip to be pulled to one side. Furthermore, because the grippers can engage formations located on the outer edge of the leading edge of the strip, the strip can be cut from the web without special adjustments required to interface with the drive members used to feed the strip through the printing system.

[0013] In some embodiments the drive members have the form of chains or toothed belts instead of cables, which are driven by toothed drive wheels or gears, thus avoiding slippage and ensuring that the strip is always pulled at exactly the same speed on both sides.

[0014] Despite the engagement of the outer edges of the leading strip in the guide channels, the beginning end of the strip can still sag at the centerline of the strip, making it difficult to thread through some of the narrow gaps through which the strip must be threaded.

[0015] To aid in this operation, in some embodiments of the invention, the beginning ends of the strips are cut at an angle so that they are not perpendicular to the outer edges of the strips.

[0016] The excessively beveled leading edge must be trimmed after passing through the printing system to avoid increasing the unusable seam area of ​​the intermediate transfer member. To minimize the waste from such trimming while maintaining the benefits of smooth passing, it is convenient to form a leading edge with two portions having a V-shaped notch that is beveled relative to the outer edges of the strip, instead of a single portion bevel that runs across the entire width of the strip.

[0017] After the intermediate transfer member has been run, its ends are trimmed to the correct length and joined together to form a seam that preferably runs at a slight offset from perpendicular to the outer edge of the strip. This angle results in the entire width of the seam not having the same thickness as the rest of the intermediate transfer member, and must be passed simultaneously through the drive rollers of the intermediate transfer member to avoid creating a sudden tension change in the intermediate transfer member. The angle is selected as a compromise between avoiding such tension changes and increasing the length of the unusable seam portion.

[0018] A support plate is provided in the printing system to support both ends of the strip that are cut and joined together to assist in forming a seam at both ends of the strip after it has been passed through the printing system, and the support plate does not contact the intermediate transfer member after introduction of the intermediate transfer member.

[0019] Alternatively, the leading edge of the strip can be temporarily attached to a removable leader. The leader can have an outer configuration that fits the gripper of the drive member and can be removably attached to the leading edge of the strip. The removable leader, while being formed as described above for the leading edge, can alternatively or additionally be made of a material that is less flexible than the intermediate transfer member that is introduced. The leader can be made of a material that is sufficiently rigid to allow the strip to pass through narrow gaps without interfering with adjacent parts of the printing system, but is sufficiently flexible to bend within a curved outer guide channel that is present along the path that the intermediate transfer member follows. Hereinafter, unless the context makes clear otherwise, the term leading edge to leading edge refers to an integral leading edge of the strip being introduced and a removable leader being temporarily attached to the end.

[0020] Once the removable leader is attached to the strip, the strip can have a predetermined length and its ends can be formed to cause the belt to have substantially the same thickness at the seam along the remainder of its length. This can be accomplished by forming a cutout in the rear surface of each end to receive tape having a width equal to the combined width of the two cutouts and a thickness consistent with the depth of the cutouts. In this manner, the tape used to join the two ends of the strip is recessed into the strip instead of overlying the strip, and thus does not thicken the intermediate transfer member at the seam.

[0021] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of introducing an intermediate transfer member into a printing system having an intermediate transfer member in the form of an endless belt for transporting an ink image from an image forming station where an ink image is deposited on the intermediate transfer member to an impression station where the ink image is transferred onto a print substrate, the belt having a formation along an edge thereof of greater thickness than the belt, the formation being received in a channel for guiding the belt and maintaining lateral tension of the belt, the method including providing a strip extending a length greater than a circumference of the intermediate transfer member, coupling a leading end of the strip to two grippers projecting laterally from two drive members, each of the grippers being disposed in a corresponding one of the two channels, by engaging the formation with the leading end of the strip together with the two grippers, rotating the drive members synchronously with each other to pass the leading end of the strip through a station of the printing system, and joining the ends of the strip together to form an endless intermediate transfer member after the strip has been passed through the printing system.

[0022] In one embodiment, the strip has a separable leader, and both ends of the strip are trimmed and joined together by applying tape into the cutouts at the ends of the strip to form a seam while maintaining the thickness uniformity of the intermediate transfer member. By "trimmed," it is meant that the thickness of both ends of the strip is reduced, such as by grinding, to form a recess to receive the tape when the ends of the strip meet each other.

[0023] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a printing system comprising an intermediate transfer member, the intermediate transfer member being in the form of an endless belt for transporting an ink image from an image forming station where the ink image is deposited on the intermediate transfer member to an impression station where the ink image is transferred to a print substrate, the belt having a thicker formation along an edge thereof, the formation being received in a channel for guiding the belt and maintaining lateral tension of the belt, the printing system further comprising two endless drive members, each located in one of the channels, the two drive members being connected for synchronous movement with each other, and rotation of the drive members during introduction of a new intermediate transfer member is operable to thread a strip from which the intermediate transfer member is formed through the printing system by pulling the strip from its leading end, the opposite ends of the strip being formed with cutouts for receiving splice tape and forming a seam, the strip being spliced ​​at the seam while maintaining a constant thickness of the intermediate transfer member over its entire length.

[0024] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of introducing an intermediate transfer member into a printing system having an intermediate transfer member in the form of an endless belt for transporting an ink image from an image forming station where an ink image is deposited on the intermediate transfer member to an impression station where the ink image is transferred to a print substrate, the method comprising providing an elongated strip of a predetermined length corresponding to a circumference of the intermediate transfer member, passing the strip through the printing system, providing cutouts along both ends, and joining the ends together by means of tape splices affixed within the cutouts and secured to both ends of the strip to form a seam having substantially the same thickness as the strip.

[0025] The two ends of the strip can be trimmed off prior to passing the strip through the printing system, and a leader can be removably secured to one of the two trimmed ends of the strip to assist in passing the strip through the printing system.

[0026] The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 illustrates a cross section of a support system for an intermediate transfer member. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one end of the support system shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 illustrates a cross section of one of the guide channels of the intermediate transfer member with one of the drive members extending parallel to the formation over the outer edge of the intermediate transfer member. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a detailed view of FIG. 3 drawn on an enlarged scale. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 illustrates the leading edge of a strip that is passed through a printing system to form an intermediate transfer member. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 illustrates how the ends of the strip can be joined at the seam while maintaining a uniform thickness of the intermediate transfer member along its entire length. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0028] It will be understood that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, parts shown in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some parts may be exaggerated relative to other parts for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate identical components, but may not be referenced in the description of every figure.

[0029] The intermediate transfer member support system 10 shown in Figures 1 and 2 includes two side frames 12 and 14, one on each side of the intermediate transfer member 18, and various support, drive and tensioning rollers 16 extending laterally between the two frames 12 and 14 to restrict the intermediate transfer member to follow a closed loop and pass through the various stations of the printing system. The remainder of the printing system, and further details of the intermediate transfer member support system, have been described in detail in the prior art and therefore need not be repeated in this context. Essentially, in the area designated at 20, the intermediate transfer member passes under an image forming station where ink is deposited on the intermediate transfer member to form an image. The intermediate transfer member rotates clockwise, as can be seen, to carry the ink image to the area designated at 22 where the moist image is heated to evaporate the ink carrier, leaving behind a tacky resin film. Along the lower transport path, the intermediate transfer member passes through one or more impression stations where the intermediate transfer member is pressed against the substrate and the adhesive film separates from the intermediate transfer member and is transferred to the face substrate.

[0030] The intermediate transfer member support system 10 is designed to ensure that the intermediate transfer member remains substantially flat and taut as it passes through the regions 20 and 22 and approaches the nip of the impression station. To this end, the ends of the intermediate transfer member 18 have formations 30 in the form of fastener teeth, shown in Figures 3 and 4. The formations 30 are thicker than the transfer member 18 and are received in C-shaped guide channels 32 fixed to the side frames 12 and 14. The guide channels 32 are shown in Figure 1 and their position in the support system is shown in Figure 2. Further details of the formations 30 and the guide channels 32 are disclosed in WO2013 / 132418 and shown in Figures 11 and 12 therein. It should be understood that the guide channels can have any alternative cross-sectional shape, so long as they are compatible with the outer formations and guide channels, are suitable for guiding the intermediate transfer member, and maintain the intermediate transfer member under less than lateral tension during operation of the printing system.

[0031] The intermediate transfer member 18 is introduced by passing the strip 18' through a printing system and having its ends spliced ​​and joined together to form a seamed endless loop. This disclosure is directed to simplifying this operation, which must be performed not only during manufacture but also from time to time during use as the intermediate transfer member is subjected to wear.

[0032] The introduction of a new or replacement intermediate transfer member 18 is made difficult by the need to introduce its outer formations 30 into the guide channels 32, which do not have to be continuous, as can be seen in Figure 1. The engagement of the formations 30 in the guide channels 32 creates resistance, making it more difficult for the intermediate transfer member introducing strip 18' to pass, as they maintain lateral tension on the intermediate transfer member.

[0033] To alleviate this problem, in the disclosed embodiment, two endless drive members are provided in the form of chains 50 passing over sprockets 52 along the ends of the intermediate transfer member 18, preferably within the enclosed cross section of the C-shaped channel 32. Reference to chains passing over sprockets is intended herein to include the equivalent of a toothed belt passing over toothed pulleys. Each chain 50 has a laterally projecting gripper 54, best seen in FIG. 4, which engages the intermediate transfer member strip 18' formation 30 at its leading end in a locking manner. After the gripper 54 engages the formation at the leading end of the strip 18', the two endless chains 50 are driven to pull the strip 18' by its leading end in the direction shown by the arrows in FIG. 3 through the various stations of the printing system. To ensure that the two chains 50 move synchronously, the two drive sprockets 52 are mounted on a common shaft coupled to a crank for manual operation or a motor suitable for automated operation.

[0034] The intermediate transfer member 18 must pass through a gap at some locations that is typically around 1000mm wide and 2mm thick. Thus, slack in the leading end 18' of the strip can cause problems as it passes through the printing system. This is mitigated by forming a V-shaped notch 60 in the leading end of the strip in the manner shown in Figure 5.

[0035] Once the strip has been drawn around the printing system and its leading edge reaches the end of the support system shown in Figure 2, the other end of the strip rests on support plate 62 and joins together to form a seam extending along inclined line 64 as shown in Figure 5. After the seam is formed, a tension roller extends to maintain the intermediate transfer member in the desired longitudinal tension, spaced apart from gripper 54, which remains stationary during operation of the printing system.

[0036] To form the seam, both ends of the strip 18' are placed overlapping each other on a support plate 62 and cut along an inclined line 64. While placed against the cut edges on the support plate 62, adhesive tape can be placed on both ends to form the desired bond. This method of forming the ends results in a seam with increased thickness that avoids abrupt tension changes when passing over drive rollers or through an impression station, and the cut line 64 can be inclined as shown in FIG. 5.

[0037] Another method is possible to form a seam without increasing the thickness of the intermediate transfer member, and is shown in FIG. 6. In this case, strip 18' is cut to a predetermined length and a separable leader is attached at its end. The leading 19 and trailing 21 at both ends of strip 18' are trimmed away to form cutouts 70 for receiving tape 75 that are the same width as the two cutouts 72. Tape 72 is secured to both ends of strip 18' by a layer of adhesive 74.

[0038] In one embodiment where the thickness of the strip 18' is about 550 μm, the cutouts at the ends of the strip may have a depth of 200 μm. The cutouts can accommodate a tape having a thickness of about 150 μm, leaving 50 μm for the thickness of the adhesive layer 74.

[0039] The separable leader can be made of a flexible material to follow the path of the intermediate transfer member, but can be made of a stiffer material than strip 18' to reduce the likelihood of sagging. The leader can have a V-shaped beginning as shown in FIG. 5, with features that are continuous with features on both sides of strip 18'.

[0040] In addition to the image forming and impression stations discussed above, it is understood that the printing system can further include processing and / or cleaning stations for treating and / or cleaning, respectively, the intermediate transfer member, drying stations for evaporating the liquid carrier from the ink image, cooling or heating stations for varying the temperature of the intermediate transfer member along its path, finishing stations for further processing the print substrate, etc. Not all such stations need be considered in detail in this context.

[0041] It is understood that certain embodiments of the invention are described in the context of separate embodiments for clarity of description, but may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention are described in the context of a single embodiment for clarity of description, but may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination or any other described embodiment of the invention. Particular features described in the context of various embodiments are not considered essential features of those embodiments, unless the embodiment is inoperable without those elements.

[0042] The present disclosure has been described by way of example only with respect to various specific embodiments presented therein, and such specifically disclosed embodiments should not be considered as limiting. Many other alternatives, modifications and variations of such embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art in light of applicant's disclosure herein. It is therefore intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations, defined only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims, and any changes within the meaning and equivalence thereof.

[0043] In the description and claims of this disclosure, each of the verbs "comprise," "include," "have," or conjugations thereof are used to indicate that the object(s) of the verb do not necessarily recite all features, members, steps, components, elements, or parts of the subject(s) of the verb.

[0044] As used herein, the singular forms (a, an, the) include plural references and mean "at least one" or "one or more" unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0045] Unless otherwise indicated, use of the term "and / or" with respect to the last two members of a list of alternatives indicates that selection of one or more of the listed alternatives is appropriate and may be made.

[0046] Unless otherwise indicated, adjectives such as "substantially" and "about" modifying a condition or relationship characteristic of one or more features of an embodiment of the present technology should be understood to mean that the condition or characteristic is defined within a tolerance permitted for operation of the embodiment for its intended use.

[0047] To the extent necessary to understand or complete this disclosure, all publications, patents, and patent applications cited herein, including specifically applicant's applications, are expressly incorporated by reference in their entireties as if fully set forth herein by reference.

Claims

1. 1. A printing system having an intermediate transfer member in the form of an endless belt for transporting an ink image from an image forming station where an ink image is deposited on an intermediate transfer member to an impression station where the ink image is transferred onto a print substrate, the endless belt having a feature along both ends thereof that is thicker than the endless belt, the feature being received by a channel for guiding the endless belt and maintaining lateral tension of the endless belt, the printing system further comprising two endless drive members located in a corresponding one of the channels, the two endless drive members being connected for synchronous operation with each other, each of the two endless drive members having a laterally projecting gripper shaped to form an engagement with the feature at a leading edge of a strip of the intermediate transfer member being formed, and rotation of the drive members during introduction of a new intermediate transfer member enables the leading edge of the strip to be pulled through the printing system.

2. 2. The printing system of claim 1, further comprising a support plate for supporting both ends of the strip within the printing system, the both ends of the strip being joined together at a seam to convert the strip into an endless belt, and the support plate not contacting the intermediate transfer member after introduction of the intermediate transfer member.

3. 3. The printing system of claim 1, wherein the strip has a V-shaped beginning.

4. 4. The printing system of claim 3, wherein the beginning end is formed as part of a leader that is separably attached to an end of the strip.

5. 5. The printing system of claim 4, wherein an opposite end of the strip is attached to the leader, the opposite end of the strip being formed with a cutout to receive a splice tape to form a seam.

6. The printing system of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein opposite ends of the strip are joined at a seam while maintaining the thickness of the intermediate transfer member uniform along its entire length.

7. A printing system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the drive member is in the form of a chain or a toothed belt.

8. 1. A method of introducing an intermediate transfer member into a printing system, said printing system having said intermediate transfer member in the form of an endless belt for transporting an ink image from an image forming station where an ink image is deposited on said intermediate transfer member to an impression station where said ink image is transferred onto a print substrate, said endless belt having a formation along an edge thereof which is of greater thickness than the endless belt, said formation being received in a channel for guiding said endless belt and maintaining lateral tension of said endless belt, said method comprising: (a) providing a strip extending a length greater than a circumference of said intermediate transfer member; (b) coupling the leading end of the strip to two grippers projecting laterally from the two drive members, each of the grippers being disposed in a corresponding one of the two channels, by engaging a formation with the leading end of the strip together with the two grippers; (c) rotating the drive members synchronously with one another to move the leading edge of the strip through the plurality of stations of the printing system; (d) joining opposite ends of the strip together to form an endless intermediate transfer member after the strip has been passed through the printing system; A method comprising:

9. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the strip has a separable leader, the ends of the strip are cut off, and after the leader is separated from the remainder of the strip, the ends of the strip are joined together while maintaining the uniformity of the thickness of the intermediate transfer member by applying tape within the cutouts of the ends of the strip to form a seam.

10. 10. A method according to claim 8 or claim 9, wherein the drive member is in the form of a chain or a toothed belt.

11. 1. A printing system comprising an intermediate transfer member, the intermediate transfer member being in the form of an endless belt for transporting an ink image from an image forming station where an ink image is deposited on the intermediate transfer member to an impression station where the ink image is transferred to a print substrate, the endless belt having a structure along an edge thereof that is thicker than the endless belt, the structure being received in a channel for guiding the endless belt and maintaining lateral tension of the endless belt, the printing system further comprising two endless drive members, each located in one of the channels, the two drive members being connected for synchronous movement with each other, and rotation of the drive members during introduction of a new intermediate transfer member is operable to thread a strip from which an intermediate transfer member is formed through the printing system by pulling the strip from its leading end, the opposite ends of the strip being formed with cutouts for receiving splice tape and forming a seam, the opposite ends being joined at the seam while maintaining a constant thickness of the intermediate transfer member over its entire length.

12. 12. The printing system of claim 11, further comprising a support plate in the printing system for supporting an opposite end of the strip, the support plate not contacting the intermediate transfer member after introduction of the intermediate transfer member.

13. 13. A printing system according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the strip has a V-shaped beginning.

14. The printing system of claim 13 , wherein the beginning end is formed as part of a leader that is detachably joined to one end of the strip.

15. A printing system according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the drive member is in the form of a chain or a toothed belt.

16. 1. A method of introducing an intermediate transfer member into a printing system, said intermediate transfer member being in the form of an endless belt for transporting an ink image from an image forming station where an ink image is deposited on said intermediate transfer member to an impression station where the ink image is transferred to a print substrate, said method comprising: (a) providing an elongated strip of a predetermined length corresponding to the circumference of the intermediate transfer member; (b) passing the strip through the printing system; (c) providing cutouts along both ends; and (d) joining said ends together by means of a tape splice applied within the cutout and secured to said ends of said strip, forming a seam having substantially the same thickness as said strip; A method comprising:

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the end of the strip is trimmed off prior to passing the strip through the printing system.

18. 18. The method of claim 16 or claim 17, wherein a leader is releasably secured to one of the two cut ends of the strip to assist in threading the strip through a printing system.

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