Happy 2014 everyone! What better time than the new year to start thinking about what we can do to improve daily life in the workplace? Here are a few small things you can do to improve accuracy and quality for 2014...
1. Participate in an Education Opportunity: There are many suppliers and universities that offer training and continuing education for printing professionals. Stay in touch with your suppliers and local trade schools and sign up for a class or two. Besides the information gained from attending the class, you'll have the chance to network with other industry professionals from whom you can share and gain knowledge.
2. Print to a specification: Seeing many different printing plants over the years, I have come to realize that almost every company has their own way of controlling print quality and consistency. Some have elaborate control systems in place while some use a purely visual system. If you have no system in place at all, measuring solid ink densities is a great place to start (FTA's FIRST series of books can provide a wealth of knowledge to get you started). If you have a system in place already, why not take it to the next level? Incorporating software such as SpotOn! Flexo to control spot colors on press, or new hardware such as the Techkon SpectroEdge inline spectrophotometer can help yield a more consistent finished product, run after run.
3. Measure Finished Plates: Many of you may already be doing this, but this is one of the most important quality control points to catch plate issues before they make their way onto press. Measure the printing surface height and the floor height to ensure that plates are being made consistently and to the correct specifications. If you have questions about recommended specifications for a certain plate type or gauge, send us a message.
4. Create a Maintenance Checklist: It can be easy to overlook one or two preventative maintenance or cleaning checkpoints when things get busy. Making a checklist of all daily, weekly, and monthly checkpoints makes it much easier for everyone to stay on the same page. Consider making it a log book where operators can sign off when a task has been completed so that everyone knows what's already been done and what is left to do. Keeping the plate room and press room equipment running smoothly will save many headaches down the road.
These ideas are just scratching the surface, but why not make 2014 the year that sets a new standard for quality in your facility?