Patent ID: 7241853

Claim:
A block of intermediate transfer material for use in a printing apparatus having (a) an intermediate transfer member having a surface with a first shape; (b) an intermediate transfer material applicator for transferring intermediate transfer material from a solid block of intermediate transfer material to form a molten layer of intermediate transfer material on the intermediate transfer member; (c) a marking material applicator situated to apply marking material in an imagewise pattern to the molten layer of intermediate transfer material on the intermediate transfer member; and (d) a transferring apparatus to transfer the imagewise pattern of marking material to a final recording substrate, said block of intermediate transfer material comprising a silicone polymer containing monomers of the formula wherein R 1 and R 2 each, independently of the other, are hydrogen atoms, hydroxy groups, alkyl groups, aryl groups, arylalkyl groups, or alkylaryl groups, provided that at least one of R 1 and R 2 has at least about 12 carbon atoms, wherein R 1 +R 2 have a total number of carbon atoms ot no more than about 100, R 3 and R 4 each, independently ot the other, are hydrogen atoms, hydroxy groups, alkyl groups, aryl groups, arylalkyl groups, or alkylaryl groups, wherein R 3 +R 4 have a total number of carbon atoms of no more than about 20, R 5 is an alkylene group, an arylene group, an arylalkylene group, an alkylarylene group, and x, y, and z each, independently of the others, are integers representing the number of repeat monomer units, wherein either (a) x is at least about 1 and wherein y and z each may be 0 but may also be greater than 0, provided that at least 2 monomer units are present in the silicone polymer, or (b) x may be 0 but may also be greater than 0, y is at least 1, and z is at least 1, wherein the monomers can be either directly bonded to each other or bonded to each other through spacer groups, said block of intermediate transfer material having a surface with a second shape capable of coming into operative contact with the intermediate transfer surface, wherein the second shape is substantially the complement of the first shape.