Are you or your staff prepared to meet growing customer demands when new standards and technologies are evolving faster than you can say, “training”? Begin the fall 2013 season by going back to school. We have a lineup of highly rated, hands-on training courses to give your company an upper hand on the competition. Fall 3013 Training Workshops September 26–27 G7® Offset Press Operator Training Program  October 1–2    Safety Matters: OSHA Compliance for Printers October 8–9 G7® Digital Press Operator Training Program October 21–24 Orientation to the Graphic Arts November 5–7 Extreme Offset: Troubleshoot, Control, Optimize Why does it pay to send employees for quality off-site training at Printing Industries of America headquarters in Pittsburgh, PA? We have the skilled experts and trainers that attendees say are “engaging” and “extremely knowledgeable and consistent.” Attendees learn via classroom and hands-on instruction for a comprehensive understanding they can take back to their facility. Additionally, off-site training, away from their daily work, allows for complete focus and material absorption—which leads to greater ROI! Visit www.printing.org/training and look under “Public Workshops” for all of our 2013 training courses....

Are you or your staff prepared to meet growing customer demands when new standards and technologies are evolving faster than you can say, “training”? Begin the fall 2013 season by going back to school. We have a lineup of highly rated, hands-on training courses to give your company an upper hand on the competition. Fall 3013 Training Workshops September 26–27 G7® Offset Press Operator Training Program  October 1–2    Safety Matters: OSHA Compliance for Printers October 8–9 G7® Digital Press Operator Training Program October 21–24 Orientation to the Graphic Arts November 5–7 Extreme Offset: Troubleshoot, Control, Optimize Why does it pay to send employees for quality off-site training at Printing Industries of America headquarters in Pittsburgh, PA? We have the skilled experts and trainers that attendees say are “engaging” and “extremely knowledgeable and consistent.” Attendees learn via classroom and hands-on instruction for a comprehensive understanding they can take back to their facility. Additionally, off-site training, away from their daily work, allows for complete focus and material absorption—which leads to greater ROI! Visit www.printing.org/training and look under “Public Workshops” for all of our 2013 training courses....

Take the Print Master Monday Challenge! Think you know the answers to the quiz questions below? Each Monday, we’ll reveal an answer on our Twitter page. All you have to do is: * Follow Printing Industries of America on Twitter (if you aren’t already) by clicking here.* Starting Monday, June 24, we’ll post a question and an answer on Twitter each week until July 15.* You can post your guesses and track the questions and answers by searching #PrintMasterMonday on Twitter. 1.  In which of the following places can an ICC profile be utilized? a)  The operating systemb)  PDF creationc)  Page layout applicationsd)  All of these 2.  What two items must a press operator continually balance on an offset press? a)  Ink and register b)  Ink and colorc)  Color and registerd)  Ink and water 3.  A unit of measure used to describe differences in color is a)  Delta A b)  CIELABc)  CMMd)  Delta E 4.  Fountain solution is primarily composed of a)  Alcoholb)  Gum Arabicc)  Sensitivity solutiond)  Water Could you or your staff answer these questions? This quiz is just a sample of what you will learn in the Orientation to the Graphic Arts training workshop. Printing Industries of America supports our industry with a variety of in-depth technical training and education opportunities for the seasoned professionals, but we understand that you can’t put the cart before the horse. It’s important that both the novice and the veteran understand the core principles of print. Why are the fundamentals important? These elements are the “bread and butter,” or the foundation of the printing and graphic arts industry—an industry that is rich in both creativity and technology. New hires and print sales professionals must know these fundamentals to better communicate with each other, and more importantly, the client! To get oriented (or reoriented) with the industry, join us for the Orientation to the Graphic Arts workshop at Printing Industries of America headquarters in Pittsburgh, PA, October 21–24, 2013. For more on training, visit...

Take the Print Master Monday Challenge! Think you know the answers to the quiz questions below? Each Monday, we’ll reveal an answer on our Twitter page. All you have to do is: * Follow Printing Industries of America on Twitter (if you aren’t already) by clicking here.* Starting Monday, June 24, we’ll post a question and an answer on Twitter each week until July 15.* You can post your guesses and track the questions and answers by searching #PrintMasterMonday on Twitter. 1.  In which of the following places can an ICC profile be utilized? a)  The operating systemb)  PDF creationc)  Page layout applicationsd)  All of these 2.  What two items must a press operator continually balance on an offset press? a)  Ink and register b)  Ink and colorc)  Color and registerd)  Ink and water 3.  A unit of measure used to describe differences in color is a)  Delta A b)  CIELABc)  CMMd)  Delta E 4.  Fountain solution is primarily composed of a)  Alcoholb)  Gum Arabicc)  Sensitivity solutiond)  Water Could you or your staff answer these questions? This quiz is just a sample of what you will learn in the Orientation to the Graphic Arts training workshop. Printing Industries of America supports our industry with a variety of in-depth technical training and education opportunities for the seasoned professionals, but we understand that you can’t put the cart before the horse. It’s important that both the novice and the veteran understand the core principles of print. Why are the fundamentals important? These elements are the “bread and butter,” or the foundation of the printing and graphic arts industry—an industry that is rich in both creativity and technology. New hires and print sales professionals must know these fundamentals to better communicate with each other, and more importantly, the client! To get oriented (or reoriented) with the industry, join us for the Orientation to the Graphic Arts workshop at Printing Industries of America headquarters in Pittsburgh, PA, October 21–24, 2013. For more on training, visit...

In an ideal pressroom environment, nothing would go wrong and you’d get consistently accurate jobs from your offset press. Unfortunately, we don’t work in this imaginary perfect pressroom. As a result we sometimes end up wasting materials and losing time. Your best bet is to learn more and be prepared to handle problems the moment they arise. There are useful training and education tools available that will help you stop wasting and start earning more profits. If you wish you had an expert on hand who can tell you how to handle these types of problems, you actually do! We’ve pulled advice together from one of our onsite experts, Lloyd DeJidas, Director, Graphic Services and Facility Manager, Printing Industries of America, for Five Best Bets for Your Offset Press: When troubleshooting on a lithographic process, first and most importantly, be sure to accurately identify the problem. I see many printers resorting to excuses like “These inks should run on any stock,” or “We don’t have time to test things,” rather than trying to identify the root cause. When you know the problem, you can find a solution and help avoid a future incident. Determine all possible causes of the problem, such as press, materials, or human error. Ask what has changed and quickly organize your data to verify potential causes. Analyze the plate scum line and determine if you have the proper ink and water balance. The scum line will tell you if your: Skewing roller is set properly Metering roller is performing well Dampening system is even from side to side        Get an accurate measurement of fountain solution, blankets, and rollers. With the many interactions and variables on the offset press, you need to have the right instruments: Meters measuring p/H and conductivity assure that the fountain solution has been mixed properly and will indicate when the fountain solution has become contaminated and should be changed to avoid print quality deterioration. A roller durometer indicates when the ink or dampening roller has become too hard, which could cause roller streaks. Regular measurements of the blanket with a packing gauge will indicate when a blanket has lost pressure due to compression set and needs repacked. Measurements with a dead weight micrometer confirm that the blanket has been made to proper specifications. Always remember:  If you can’t measure it, you can’t control it! When a printing problem arises, determine the root cause by testing your paper and ink. These are some of the tests to perform: Inkometer readings measure if the ink tack sequence is correct for proper wet ink trapping. Grindometer measurents ensure that the paper has been milled properly. Calibrate abrasion testers indicate that the inks have set...

In an ideal pressroom environment, nothing would go wrong and you’d get consistently accurate jobs from your offset press. Unfortunately, we don’t work in this imaginary perfect pressroom. As a result we sometimes end up wasting materials and losing time. Your best bet is to learn more and be prepared to handle problems the moment they arise. There are useful training and education tools available that will help you stop wasting and start earning more profits. If you wish you had an expert on hand who can tell you how to handle these types of problems, you actually do! We’ve pulled advice together from one of our onsite experts, Lloyd DeJidas, Director, Graphic Services and Facility Manager, Printing Industries of America, for Five Best Bets for Your Offset Press: When troubleshooting on a lithographic process, first and most importantly, be sure to accurately identify the problem. I see many printers resorting to excuses like “These inks should run on any stock,” or “We don’t have time to test things,” rather than trying to identify the root cause. When you know the problem, you can find a solution and help avoid a future incident. Determine all possible causes of the problem, such as press, materials, or human error. Ask what has changed and quickly organize your data to verify potential causes. Analyze the plate scum line and determine if you have the proper ink and water balance. The scum line will tell you if your: Skewing roller is set properly Metering roller is performing well Dampening system is even from side to side        Get an accurate measurement of fountain solution, blankets, and rollers. With the many interactions and variables on the offset press, you need to have the right instruments: Meters measuring p/H and conductivity assure that the fountain solution has been mixed properly and will indicate when the fountain solution has become contaminated and should be changed to avoid print quality deterioration. A roller durometer indicates when the ink or dampening roller has become too hard, which could cause roller streaks. Regular measurements of the blanket with a packing gauge will indicate when a blanket has lost pressure due to compression set and needs repacked. Measurements with a dead weight micrometer confirm that the blanket has been made to proper specifications. Always remember:  If you can’t measure it, you can’t control it! When a printing problem arises, determine the root cause by testing your paper and ink. These are some of the tests to perform: Inkometer readings measure if the ink tack sequence is correct for proper wet ink trapping. Grindometer measurents ensure that the paper has been milled properly. Calibrate abrasion testers indicate that the inks have set...