Question:  For quality control, what is the most important part on a litho press to manage?

Answer:  Ink rollers.  Most press operators blame paper for the cause of all of their problems when in reality it is rollers.  How they are maintained, how often they are set, what they are cleaned with, and how often they are replaced--matters.  Rollers are within a printing company's control.  Their condition, if good, makes for good p...Read More

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Question:  How often should roller settings be checked and why? (Part 2)

Answer:  For internal settings, usually we will do this for a three-shift operation once per quarter and for a one shift every six months.  When internal settings go off it can drive you crazy since usually what happens is that the settings go light and not heavy.  What this does to the printing is you loose the ability to raise and lower density.  Now you have a real nightmare on your hands...Read More

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Question:  How often should roller settings be checked and why?

Answer:  Ink and water forms in my opinion should be striped every shift or day.  They can go off fast and cause a multitude of issues.  Roller stripes on a new press should be checked when the press is warm, not when it is cold.  Likewise check by contacting the forms to the plate--both ink and water.  Refer to the press manufacturer's manual for the proper setting.  Keep in mind the manua...Read More

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Question: Why do I need running register control for a non-heatset web? I don't see the value.

Answer: The value proposition has changed in the past few years due to the price of paper and the price of labor. Sharp printers are trying to cut waste as much as possible, and automatic register control can do this. The ROI is fairly clear when looking at waste on a 4-color job.

You should be able to cut makeready waste significantly. Remember, you cannot judge ...Read More

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Question: When I print with just 4-color process, all is fine. But when I add a water-based coating, my dots look grainy. What is wrong?

Answer: After reviewing the samples you sent, your 4-color work is quite decent and you do have a small double. When coating is applied, you don't have grainy dots but you do have a disaster: Your coating is being repelled by the ink, or vice-versa.

Is the ink coatable?

The first thing to check would ...Read More

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Question: My press cannot match my inkjet proofs. I have tried proofs from several different customers and the issues remain. Why do you think?

Answer: The proofs that you sent me are all what I would call lower to medium-quality inkjet proofs. One of them is obviously a position proof and not a color-match proof. The quality of inkjet proofs has dramatically improved in the past two years, and prices for top-of-the-line equipment are not all that bad and some may even call them cheap....Read More

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Question: My customers are asking for FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified papers. Why should I do this? Do they print any differently?

Answer: Let’s take the easy one first: They print no differently.

Why 'go green?'

Why should you do this? Well, the buyers who are young do care about sustainability of our industry. Many papers are FSC-certified with more coming all the time. Recently, I did a lecture for a major p...Read More

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Question: The sheets of 16-up large labels on a 40´´ sheet are showing different colors from lead to tail. Why?

Answer: On a press, you should be able to adjust the timing of the inker to avoid this isse. Usually a difference of .06 D for your size press is considered acceptable. Most new presses with new rollers will give only a .03D or less density difference lead to tail.

More Ink Will Cost You 

The dry solid you sent m...Read More

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Question: We are currently hot stamping gold, silver and color foil for book covers and cartons. We basically like the results but are hearing about less-expensive ways. What are the options?

Answer: Hot stamping has many advantages—and you can emboss at the same time. While the cost is high, the speed is also slow. We are seeing come to the market several alternatives, such as Eckart Top Star inks (both conventional and UV), the ...Read More

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Question: Wide color gamut inks are being advertised. Is this something our firm should be looking at? We are standardized on ISO colors at this point in time.

Answer: It depends: If you are a boutique printer and willing to develop the necessary match for a wide-gamut ink to a proofing system—and you create all your own digital files—go for it.

But hold on there, Rocky ...

If you accept outside proofs and digital files th...Read More

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Question: All I hear about from drupa is inkjet—why?

Answer: There are two big reasons for this. The first is that inkjet quality has increased. The second—and most important to printing companies—is that the format size has changed.

Size matters

We are seein...Read More

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Question: If I have a full UV press and I turn off the UV lamps, can I print? Is the ink going to dry?

Answer: You should not do that—ever. The beauty of UV is that it dries instantly: That is why the system was purchased and why it is so popular. If you print UV ink on paper it will dry, but you and your customer will not want to wait forever. Use the lamps, please.

Readers, please e-mail your questions to Ray.   

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