Method and apparatus for compaction of a liquid ink developed image in a liquid ink type electrostatographic system

摘要

The apparatus for compacting a liquid ink developed image on an image bearing surface includes a conductive electrode (76) with a surface close to the image bearing surface. The electrode defines a conditioning gap (77) between it and the surface. A liquid material applicator (70) floods the conditioning gap with a liquid insulating material. An electrical bias source (74) applies an electrical bias to the electrode to create electric fields in the conditioning gap. The electric fields electrostatically compress the developed image into image areas on the image bearing surface. The liquid insulating material prevents air breakdown in the conditioning gap. The liquid ink developed image is formed by depositing liquid developing material comprising toner particles immersed in a liquid carrier medium on the image bearing surface. The liquid insulating material includes the liquid carrier medium. The conditioning gap has a dimension of approximately 2-4 mils. The liquid material applicator comprises a single piece housing which defines an elongated aperture (79) adapted for transporting the liquid insulating material into the conditioning gap.