The disclosed systems and methods provide an ink-based digital printing system for printing high quality images on a wide latitude of image receiving media. The disclosed systems and methods employ a UV curable base (transfix) layer deposited on an intermediate image transfer member that is then at least partially cured prior to an aqueous ink being deposited on the base layer to form a digital image thereon. Once the images are formed on the base layer, a drying device is optionally used to reduce a water content of the aqueous ink images on the base layer prior to transfer of the images to an image receiving media substrate. At transfer, the images and at least a portion of the base layer are transferred to the image receiving media substrate, the images being sandwiched between the portion of the base layer and the image receiving media substrate.