Patent ID: 8764179

Claim:
A radiation curable gel ink leveling method, comprising: directly contacting a radiation curable gel ink on a first side of a substrate with a contact member at a leveling nip, the leveling nip being formed by the contact member and a pressure member, the pressure member having a hydrophobic surface, the pressure member being configured to face and to contact a second side of the substrate; separating the contact member from the ink and the substrate; jetting the gel ink directly from an ink jet print head onto the substrate to form a radiation curable gel ink image; and irradiating the gel ink to thicken the ink before contacting the gel ink with the contact member, wherein the contact member is hydrophilic and comprises a porous metal oxide matrix, and the surface of the pressure member comprises one of a TEFLON layer arranged over a silicone surface whereby the TEFLON surface interposes the silicone surface and the contact member at the nip and a urethane layer coated with a fluorinated polymer.