Patent ID: 8573121

Claim:
A digital offset inking method for erasing ink history useful for ink-based variable data printing using a printing system having a digital offset architecture, the system including a central imaging member, a dampening system for applying dampening fluid to the central imaging member to form a dampening fluid layer, a digital evaporation system for selectively evaporating portions of the dampening fluid layer to according to image data for forming a first image, and an inking system for applying ink to the central imaging member after the evaporating, the inking system comprising an inking member and an ink transfer member, the method comprising: depositing ink onto a surface of the inking member; transferring the deposited ink to a surface of the ink transfer member; transferring the ink from the surface of the ink transfer member to a surface of the imaging member by causing the ink transfer member to contact the imaging member for forming a first ink image on the imaging member; and removing material remaining on the ink transfer member after the transferring the ink from the surface of the ink transfer member to the surface of the imaging member, the removing comprising one of contacting the ink transfer member with an ink removal member and applying an air knife to a surface of the ink transfer member, the removing being before transferring ink from the surface of the ink transfer member to the imaging member for forming a second ink image on the imaging member.