On an offset press, every minute of downtime equals money lost. Being proactive with proper press maintenance—from blankets to roller settings to dampening systems––is the key to efficiency and profitability in your pressroom. Greg Workman, Technical Consultant/Pressroom and Bindery Supervisor, brings 34 years of industry experience to teach—both through classroom and hands-on training—tactical techniques for proper maintenance, troubleshooting, and efficiency in Extreme Offset: Troubleshoot, Control, Optimize. Here, Greg shares10 steps to achieve successful lithographic dampening: Give a sample of your water to your dampening solution manufacturer for analysis. This sample will provide information for selecting the correct dampening solution and alcohol substitute chemistry for your dampening system and your plant’s water characteristics. Discuss your printing operation with your chemical supplier. Be specific about press models, dampening systems, inks, roller washes, blanket washes, and types of paper to make sure that they are totally compatible. Check dampening roller pressure settings and durometer readings. This should include inking and dampening form rollers. Make sure plate-to-blanket pressure is also set properly. Follow the manufacturer’s mixing instructions. If the instructions recommend mixing between 3 and 8 oz. of solution with each gallon of water, start with the minimum of 3 oz. Take a pH/conductivity reading and record the information as a starting point reference. Run this mixture of dampening solution and monitor its printability. For example, how does the plate roll up? How does the press start up after feeder trips? Does the plate run clean and open without feeding excess amounts of dampening solution? Communicate this information back to the dampening solution manufacturer. Observe the scum line.Whenin perfect ink-and-water balance, an ink scum line will form on the lead edge of the plate. It will be thin and even (visually about the width of a lead pencil line) spanning from the operator’s side to the gear side of the press. Check it often. When the line disappears, the dampening water setting is too high. When the scum line thickens, the dampening water setting is too low. Check your dampening solution regularly. Paper coating, ink bleed, and blanket and roller cleaners can contaminate dampening solution. Take temperature, pH, and conductivity readings after every three hours of press operation. Record these readings in the press logbook. Keep the solution at the mixture you have found works best. Observe the changes in pH and conductivity as the pressrun continues. When they reach a point where printing problems begin, such as plugging or scumming, the dampening solution is probably contaminated. Record your finding in the press logbook and mix a fresh batch of solution. Drain and clean your dampening system weekly. Check and service the refrigeration system on your water circulation systems regularly (after 1,000 hours...

On an offset press, every minute of downtime equals money lost. Being proactive with proper press maintenance—from blankets to roller settings to dampening systems––is the key to efficiency and profitability in your pressroom. Greg Workman, Technical Consultant/Pressroom and Bindery Supervisor, brings 34 years of industry experience to teach—both through classroom and hands-on training—tactical techniques for proper maintenance, troubleshooting, and efficiency in Extreme Offset: Troubleshoot, Control, Optimize. Here, Greg shares10 steps to achieve successful lithographic dampening: Give a sample of your water to your dampening solution manufacturer for analysis. This sample will provide information for selecting the correct dampening solution and alcohol substitute chemistry for your dampening system and your plant’s water characteristics. Discuss your printing operation with your chemical supplier. Be specific about press models, dampening systems, inks, roller washes, blanket washes, and types of paper to make sure that they are totally compatible. Check dampening roller pressure settings and durometer readings. This should include inking and dampening form rollers. Make sure plate-to-blanket pressure is also set properly. Follow the manufacturer’s mixing instructions. If the instructions recommend mixing between 3 and 8 oz. of solution with each gallon of water, start with the minimum of 3 oz. Take a pH/conductivity reading and record the information as a starting point reference. Run this mixture of dampening solution and monitor its printability. For example, how does the plate roll up? How does the press start up after feeder trips? Does the plate run clean and open without feeding excess amounts of dampening solution? Communicate this information back to the dampening solution manufacturer. Observe the scum line.Whenin perfect ink-and-water balance, an ink scum line will form on the lead edge of the plate. It will be thin and even (visually about the width of a lead pencil line) spanning from the operator’s side to the gear side of the press. Check it often. When the line disappears, the dampening water setting is too high. When the scum line thickens, the dampening water setting is too low. Check your dampening solution regularly. Paper coating, ink bleed, and blanket and roller cleaners can contaminate dampening solution. Take temperature, pH, and conductivity readings after every three hours of press operation. Record these readings in the press logbook. Keep the solution at the mixture you have found works best. Observe the changes in pH and conductivity as the pressrun continues. When they reach a point where printing problems begin, such as plugging or scumming, the dampening solution is probably contaminated. Record your finding in the press logbook and mix a fresh batch of solution. Drain and clean your dampening system weekly. Check and service the refrigeration system on your water circulation systems regularly (after 1,000 hours...

You have probably heard by now that the 2013 Color Management Conference, December 7–10, in Phoenix is the event of the year for the latest on achieving predictable brand color. By attending this event, you will have access to the latest in cutting-edge technologies and techniques that can help you build profits.   We want to share some of the benefits you may not have heard that really make this event the icing on the cake of 2013! Here are the top 5 unique reasons why you should be in Phoenix for the Color Management Conference: #1 Real-World Color Success Stories Hear from big brand names like Kimberly-Clark, Kohl’s, and American Airlines as representatives discuss managing brand color across diverse media and when it might make sense to offload the responsibility for color management and ultimately a brand’s color integrity to a third-party organization. #2 Renowned Players Big names like Russell Brown! Sven Seger! Dr. Taz Tally! Russell Brown brings his Russell Brown Show to the Color Management Conference with, The Russell Brown Show: Live! You don’t want to miss this Emmy-award winner go on the journey through the history of Adobe Photoshop while providing tips and tricks for Photoshop users of any skill level. Sven Seger, Chief Creative Officer, North America, FutureBrand, takes attendees on a ride discussing the rebranding of the iconic logo for American Airlines. “Finding ways to modernize the brand, while tying its iconic heritage to its human qualities, was a challenging process,” says Seger. You don’t want to miss this though-provoking session.  And don’t miss the pre-conference session with  Dr. Taz Tally, who’s unique in his own right! He’s a world-renowned photographer, author, consultant, and instructor. This adventure seeker lives life to the fullest in Alaska, often traveling to ski in Utah and whale watch in Hawaii. Discover more adventure with Dr. Tally in his pre-conference photography shoot against a dazzling desert backdrop. #3 Information for All This conference’s three tracks—for designers and brand managers, print production folks, and standards experts (affectionately known as color “geeks”)— focus on specific needs in the color workflow. But did you know attendees can choose sessions from any of these tracks? So if you’re in production, feel free to jump on the Geek Track and learn about the latest ISO 12647 and 15339 standards updates. You’re a brand manager? Join a Production session on new proofing tech. It’s a virtual buffet of knowledge, so why not look at the Session Descriptions and create your own perfect conference for maximum ROI! #4 Hands-On Labs With the nine labs being presented at the Color Management Conference, attendees will get a hands-on experience with the latest in technology and techniques any...

You have probably heard by now that the 2013 Color Management Conference, December 7–10, in Phoenix is the event of the year for the latest on achieving predictable brand color. By attending this event, you will have access to the latest in cutting-edge technologies and techniques that can help you build profits.   We want to share some of the benefits you may not have heard that really make this event the icing on the cake of 2013! Here are the top 5 unique reasons why you should be in Phoenix for the Color Management Conference: #1 Real-World Color Success Stories Hear from big brand names like Kimberly-Clark, Kohl’s, and American Airlines as representatives discuss managing brand color across diverse media and when it might make sense to offload the responsibility for color management and ultimately a brand’s color integrity to a third-party organization. #2 Renowned Players Big names like Russell Brown! Sven Seger! Dr. Taz Tally! Russell Brown brings his Russell Brown Show to the Color Management Conference with, The Russell Brown Show: Live! You don’t want to miss this Emmy-award winner go on the journey through the history of Adobe Photoshop while providing tips and tricks for Photoshop users of any skill level. Sven Seger, Chief Creative Officer, North America, FutureBrand, takes attendees on a ride discussing the rebranding of the iconic logo for American Airlines. “Finding ways to modernize the brand, while tying its iconic heritage to its human qualities, was a challenging process,” says Seger. You don’t want to miss this though-provoking session.  And don’t miss the pre-conference session with  Dr. Taz Tally, who’s unique in his own right! He’s a world-renowned photographer, author, consultant, and instructor. This adventure seeker lives life to the fullest in Alaska, often traveling to ski in Utah and whale watch in Hawaii. Discover more adventure with Dr. Tally in his pre-conference photography shoot against a dazzling desert backdrop. #3 Information for All This conference’s three tracks—for designers and brand managers, print production folks, and standards experts (affectionately known as color “geeks”)— focus on specific needs in the color workflow. But did you know attendees can choose sessions from any of these tracks? So if you’re in production, feel free to jump on the Geek Track and learn about the latest ISO 12647 and 15339 standards updates. You’re a brand manager? Join a Production session on new proofing tech. It’s a virtual buffet of knowledge, so why not look at the Session Descriptions and create your own perfect conference for maximum ROI! #4 Hands-On Labs With the nine labs being presented at the Color Management Conference, attendees will get a hands-on experience with the latest in technology and techniques any...

The industry’s “Profit Leaders” represent firms in the top 25% of profitability. So what’s their secret? What are they doing that the other 75% are not? They’re using Printing Industries of America’s Ratios reports to benchmark their business, learning where they can improve efficiency and productivity. And the result is higher profits. Here’s how you can do the same with the 2013–2014 Ratios. Ask Strategic Questions The new 2013–2014 Ratios, whichshows that printing industry profits are finally increasing,collates key market data to pinpoint strategic business areas to focus on. Profit leaders use the reports as an efficient way to benchmark and get a pulse on important areas of operations, like profitability and sales factors, cost drivers, and expenses. How can your company use Ratios to find areas for improvement? Take a look at your numbers and compare them to the industry average and profit leaders. Get a better and faster understanding of where they are and where they should be! Here are some examples of the right questions the Ratios helps identify to assess your operations: What are your factory and administrative expenses and how do they compare to your competitors? Does your percentage of payroll and materials expenses match industry averages? How do your sales per employee compare to profit leaders? Is your average employee wage competitive within the industry? (Get a peek at some of the latest Ratios results here!) See the Big Picture Profit leaders understand the financial position of their business within the market. The Ratios reports provide a compilation of in-depth financial data from hundreds of our industry’s profit leaders. This data is generated from a yearly industry-wide survey of more than 500 Printing Industries of America member and non-member printing firms conducted by our Economic and Market Research department. Each of the 16 volumes focuses on a specific industry segment, spanning every major industry sector. All this data amounts to a complete look at the industry—where we are, where we’re going, market trends, and much more. It provides management both a microscopic view of the top business priorities, and then expands that view to reveal how your company’s performance fits in with the profit leaders and the rest of the industry firms. Hot Off the Press! We’ve just released the 2013–2014 Ratios. Learn more about Printing Industries of America’s Ratios program and browse all 16 volumes available at...

The industry’s “Profit Leaders” represent firms in the top 25% of profitability. So what’s their secret? What are they doing that the other 75% are not? They’re using Printing Industries of America’s Ratios reports to benchmark their business, learning where they can improve efficiency and productivity. And the result is higher profits. Here’s how you can do the same with the 2013–2014 Ratios. Ask Strategic Questions The new 2013–2014 Ratios, whichshows that printing industry profits are finally increasing,collates key market data to pinpoint strategic business areas to focus on. Profit leaders use the reports as an efficient way to benchmark and get a pulse on important areas of operations, like profitability and sales factors, cost drivers, and expenses. How can your company use Ratios to find areas for improvement? Take a look at your numbers and compare them to the industry average and profit leaders. Get a better and faster understanding of where they are and where they should be! Here are some examples of the right questions the Ratios helps identify to assess your operations: What are your factory and administrative expenses and how do they compare to your competitors? Does your percentage of payroll and materials expenses match industry averages? How do your sales per employee compare to profit leaders? Is your average employee wage competitive within the industry? (Get a peek at some of the latest Ratios results here!) See the Big Picture Profit leaders understand the financial position of their business within the market. The Ratios reports provide a compilation of in-depth financial data from hundreds of our industry’s profit leaders. This data is generated from a yearly industry-wide survey of more than 500 Printing Industries of America member and non-member printing firms conducted by our Economic and Market Research department. Each of the 16 volumes focuses on a specific industry segment, spanning every major industry sector. All this data amounts to a complete look at the industry—where we are, where we’re going, market trends, and much more. It provides management both a microscopic view of the top business priorities, and then expands that view to reveal how your company’s performance fits in with the profit leaders and the rest of the industry firms. Hot Off the Press! We’ve just released the 2013–2014 Ratios. Learn more about Printing Industries of America’s Ratios program and browse all 16 volumes available at...