d. The fixer is able to fix the print completely in about 10 seconds because of the combination of
formulation, concentration, temperature, and highly efficient agitation.
7.
Agitation. The high-agitation fountain achieves an increased rate of fixation because it removes used
fixer from the emulsion and replaces it with fresh fixer at a high rate of speed.
a. The small chamber is equipped with two-stage, two-directional fountain jets, which are supplied with
fixer under pressure. They provide an extremely high degree of agitation uniformly across the print surface.
b. The high turbulence results because the jets of fixer within the liquid filled chamber are aimed in
opposite directions against the surface of the moving print. In addition to the direct jet action against the print
surface, the jets cause the fixer to swirl rapidly in whirlpool fashion against the emulsion. As the print moves
through the fixing section, the emulsion receives continual high-turbulence agitation from both of these actions.
c. The hardened paper emulsion is coated on a resin layer which is water-resistant. The fixer can
penetrate only the emulsion, which reaches a fixer-saturated state immediately as it enters the fixing section of
the processor. The resin coatings shorten the time both in the fixing and in the washing steps of the activation
process.
8.
Washing.
a. Complete washing takes place in the last wet section of the Royalprint Processor in slightly more
than 8 seconds because of:
(1) The squeegee action of the feed rollers, which removes most of the fixer from the print surfaces.
(2) The water-resistant paper base.
(3) The high-turbulence fountain-jet wash-water application.
(4) A final clear-water rinse.
b. As the print leaves the fixing section, it is transported by two pairs of transport rollers. These rollers
serve a second function; as well as moving the print along, they double-squeegee the fixer from the print, leaving
very little surface fixer on the print as it enters the wash.
c. The water-resistant base has not allowed the fixer to penetrate the paper fibers. Therefore the back
surface of the print needs only a rinse to eliminate any residual surface fixer, and the fixer needs to be removed
only from the thin, porous gelatin emulsion.
d. Agitation of the wash water is provided by fountain jets, which are arranged in the same way as the
jets in the fixer section. Because of the
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