There is provided a method for treating a hydrophobic release layer of an intermediate transfer member for use in a printing process in which a negatively charged aqueous inkjet ink including a polymeric resin and a colorant is jetted onto said layer, the claimed method comprising contacting the release layer, prior to jetting the ink, with an aqueous solution or dispersion of a positively charged polymeric chemical agent reducing the tendency of a jetted ink droplet to bead up on the intermediate transfer member. Other embodiments, such as hydrophobic release layers having such chemical agents disposed thereupon and printed ink images comprising the same, are also described.