TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: In the method, the inorganic thin film is deposited on the substrate by atomic layer deposition. The hydrophilic polymer satisfies both of the following tests: (a1) it is soluble to at least 1 wt.% in a solution containing at least 50 wt.% water as measured at 40 degrees C, and (b1) it provides an inhibition power of at least 200 Angstrom to deposition of zinc oxide by an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process. The step (a) is depositing a uniform layer of the composition comprising the deposition inhibitor material. The step (a) is depositing a pattern of the composition comprising the deposition inhibitor material. The composition comprising the deposition inhibitor material is deposited by inkjet printing, gravure, flexography, donor transfer, micro-contact printing, or offset lithography. The inorganic thin film is deposited using spatially dependant ALD that involves: providing a series of gas channels, each in contact with a discrete separate region of a substrate, and each gas channel having a gas composition, the gas composition comprising, in order, at least a first reactive gaseous material, an inert purge gas, and a second reactive gaseous material, and optionally repeating this sequence several times, moving the substrate relative to the gas channels so that a portion of the substrate comes into contact sequentially with at least two gas zones, where the first reactive gaseous material is capable of reacting with a substrate surface that has been treated with the second reactive gaseous material to form the inorganic thin film. The given area of the substrate is exposed to a gas composition in an elongated opening for less than 100 milliseconds. The relative movement of the substrate to a deposition device is at a speed of at least 0.1 cm/seconds. The substrate or a support for the substrate comprises a moving web. Preferred Components: The inorganic thin film is either a metal or a metal containing compound. The metal-containing compound contains a group V or group VI anion, or it is an oxide, nitride, sulfide, and/or phosphide. The inorganic thin film contains zinc oxide. The inorganic thin film contains zinc, aluminum, hafnium, zirconium, and/or indium; or copper, tungsten, aluminum, nickel, ruthenium, or rhodium. The second reactive gaseous material is a non-metallic compound.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Components: The hydrophilic polymer comprises neutralized carboxy, sulfo, phospho, sulfinic, or phosphinic acid groups (preferably neutralized carboxy or sulfo groups). The hydrophilic polymer comprises recurring units having neutralized carboxy, sulfo, phospho, sulfinic, or phosphinic acid groups that are pendant to the polymer backbone. The hydrophilic polymer is a neutralized homopolymer or copolymer derived from (meth)acrylic acid or styrenesulfonic acid. EXAMPLE - No suitable example given.