Patent ID: 7191705

Claim:
A method to generate a print image on a carrier material, comprising the steps of: applying a wetting-aiding substance with a molecular layer thickness on a surface of the print carrier, using as the wetting-aiding substance a surfactant with hydrophilic molecule sections, and a layer thickness for the wetting-aiding substance being smaller than 0.1 μm; in a structuring process, generating at the surfactant regions used for forming ink-attracting regions and ink-repelling regions corresponding to a structure of the print image to be printed; after the structuring process coating the surfactant on the surface of the print carrier with a layer which is one of ink-repelling and ink-attracting, said layer being made from a fountain solution, and forming said ink-attracting and ink-repelling regions; applying on the fountain solution layer ink that adheres to the ink-attracting regions and that is not absorbed by the ink-repelling regions; transferring the applied ink onto the carrier material; and before a new structuring process on the same surface of the print carrier, cleaning and re-coating the surface with said fountain solution layer.