Patent ID: 7201102

Claim:
A method for transferring printing fluid onto a carrier material, comprising the steps of: defining with print data picture elements of a print image to be printed onto the carrier material; influencing a surface tension of a prescribed volume of a printing fluid when printing a picture element dependent on the print data belonging to the picture element such that without significant change in volume, the printing fluid having a first surface tension causing a change of a surface shape of a surface of the printing fluid so that a portion of the surface contacts the carrier material to moisten the carrier material, and does not touch the carrier material when the printing fluid has a second surface tension of said surface deviating from the first surface tension resulting in a shape of said surface such that the surface is positioned away from contact with the carrier material; the first surface tension having a first value at which the surface of the printing fluid is arced outward into contact with the carrier material; and the second surface tension having a second value at which the surface of the printing fluid is one of planar and arced inward away from contact with the carrier material.