Patent ID: 8109211

Claim:
A method of printing which comprises: I. applying an imaged layer of a gravure printing ink onto a surface of a substrate, which gravure printing ink comprises an admixture of: a) a water dispersible pigment; b) a water dispersible, ethylenically unsaturated oligomer or ethylenically unsaturated polymer which is polymerizable or crosslinkable by the application of sufficient electron beam radiation; c) a defoaming agent; d) sufficient water to form a dispersion with components a), b) and c), which dispersion has a viscosity of from about 25 cps to about 200 cps; wherein the gravure printing ink comprises about 0% photoinitiator; then II. drying the imaged layer of gravure printing ink on the substrate to thereby produce an imaged layer of dry gravure printing ink; and then III. conducting steps I and II, one or more additional times before conducting step IV, by applying onto the prior imaged layer of dry gravure printing ink and onto the same surface of the substrate, an imaged layer of another gravure printing ink, which gravure printing ink comprises an admixture of: a) a water dispersible pigment; b) a water dispersible, ethylenically unsaturated oligomer or ethylenically unsaturated polymer which is polymerizable or crosslinkable by the application of sufficient electron beam radiation; c) a defoaming agent; d) sufficient water to form a dispersion with components a), b), and c) which dispersion has a viscosity of from about 25 cps to about 200 cps; wherein each gravure printing ink comprises about 0 wt. % photoinitiator; and then IV. exposing said imaged layers of dry gravure printing ink with sufficient electron beam radiation to cause the ethylenically unsaturated oligomer or ethylenically unsaturated polymer in said imaged layer to polymerize or crosslink.