Makeready Sheets

[QPC]

Greeting fellow printers, I'm wondering what you all think is your "average " amount of makeready sheets needed before you run. We are a commercial printer with 2 40" Komori's. 8/Color Perfector, 6/color straight, both with coaters. The oldest press is 6 years old. Our proof to press, (profile) match is good, all ink key information is sent down to our KMS. Ink &Fountain solution are stable. All in All we print great. We, like most commercial printers today, go back and forth from text weight to cover, to board,etc... I'm not looking for numbers from a showroom setting, more like what it's like out in the field.
Any feedback would be appreciated .

QPC

 

[Ti7]

We use the rule of 80 sheets per printing unit. We have two 6/C CD102 Presses.

 

[cheetoh]

I've always heard 150-200 sheets per color, 80 doesn't seem like near enough unless it isn't quality work...

 

[SilvaJr]

Are you targeting your production to a contract proof or to an industry standard (ISO 12647 or G7)?

The reason I'm asking is if the management team is forcing the press crew to due with less, for sure the results it will be less print quality too...

For your reference, I noticed printing sites running 4 color Komori 428 presses under ISO 12647, Paper Type #1 and #2, FOGRA39, CIP3 files to PQC, 80-100 makeready sheets as average per unit.

Regards,

 

[Ti7]

Cheetoh, We are a very high quality comercial sheetfed shop. Our Presses are very fine tuned and dialed in. 150-200 sheets per unit for a make ready is rediculous. So if yo had a 6/C sheet wise job you would give 1600 sheets for a make ready? I am not including run spoilage in the 80 sheets you should understand.

 

[QPC]

Silva Jr, we are running to G7.

 

[kansasquaker]

We're G7 running two Komori LS640s. We use bladesetter (or whatever they call it now) and pre-inking. We're a very high quality shop with good G7 profiles updated about monthly with Curve2. The guys For simple jobs we allow 350-400 sheets for setup. For difficult jobs as many as 600 sheets, but never more. As a general rule, 4c vs 5c vs 6c really doesn't seem to matter much.

If a press operator with all of today's tools can't regularly s/u a job in within those allowances, he isn't worth a dime. I'm speaking in generalities here. I don't mean to say there aren't exceptional jobs.

 

[Ajax]

Its good to hear shops are still getting makeready sheets for difficult paint jobs that should be five color work but instead are 4 color seperations of a non-specific pms.

In my shop makeready makes no sense so its not in the budget. Then they wonder why things come off press sub par or mediocre at best.

 

[cheetoh]

Cheetoh, We are a very high quality comercial sheetfed shop. Our Presses are very fine tuned and dialed in. 150-200 sheets per unit for a make ready is rediculous. So if yo had a 6/C sheet wise job you would give 1600 sheets for a make ready? I am not including run spoilage in the 80 sheets you should understand.

I think you need to rethink your math skills..... at 150 sheets per color times 6 colors comes to 900 sheets, at 200 sheets per color times 6 colors comes to 1200.... I have no idea where your 1600 sheet figure comes from.....

 

[Lukas Engqvist]

It really depends on jobs, but I understand you need to try to plan. Also one big thing that affects the make ready is how good your CIP workflow is. When we printed a series of posters we were down to 20 sheets, because the run was short 80 posters per kind, but the results were really good, it was more like a version change. There are other jobs that just don't work out (and some times those are the ones where the paper is too dry or the press is found to be operating badly) and then you may find 150 sheets isn't going to help you get to grip with the problem.

Can I also throw in the question, do you always use clean make ready sheets, or do you interleave with recycled make ready sheets. Especially when changing stock the need for more make ready sheets can be such that the 2nd side (or some times even overprinting a previous job) of previously used make ready sheets can be used for inking up.

I can understand that recycling can some times be more expensive if press is very picky about the quality of sheets, so it is not to be judging those who find that fresh sheets is the only way to go, but it can be worth considering.

 

[abc228]

make-ready sheets

make-ready sheets

I am a pressman & formerly worked in folding carton industry,Standard for a 6-c job was 300 sheets or less .Any respectable pressman should have a basic repeat job ready to go in 300 sheets.Or at least damn close.Work in metal decorating industry now & waste tolerances even tighter.
Allen.

 

[godfrey]

How can I Disable multi-feed detection sensor while printing DL Envelopes in the By-Pass tray with Konika Minolta to avoid them skewing on one side?

All in all, how do I avoid Envelopes Skewing on one side while printing?

 

[cheetoh]

I am a pressman & formerly worked in folding carton industry,Standard for a 6-c job was 300 sheets or less .Any respectable pressman should have a basic repeat job ready to go in 300 sheets.Or at least damn close.Work in metal decorating industry now & waste tolerances even tighter.
Allen.

Glad I don't work there...........

 

[Brer]

We use 300-400 sheets for four color work running a PM74. I think this is reasonable. If I am using much more than that I am having a bad day.
I will often recycle MR sheets if they feed good and don't have too much spray powder on them.

 

[Lukew]

52" 4 colour press.
We are given the following amount of extra sheets, this is to cover both make ready and sheets lost durring the run from stopping etc + there is to be some overs left for the bindery..
cmyk jobs polyester plates
run length 10 Sheets - 1000 Sheets (overs given for job are 80 - 150 sheets)
run length 1000sheets - 10000 Sheets (Overs given for job are 150 - 250 sheets)
10000 - 50000 Sheets (Overs given for job are 250 - 500 Sheets)

We are not given extra sheets even if the job is double sided sheet work = two makereadies.

For example, I can have a 1000 booklets to print. SRA3. ( 3 double sided sheets)
I would be given 80 - 150 overs per sheet so that is 40 - 75 over per side.
As above the overs are to cover both makeready and sheet lose from start stop + allow overs for bindery

 

[Ti7]

I think you need to rethink your math skills..... at 150 sheets per color times 6 colors comes to 900 sheets, at 200 sheets per color times 6 colors comes to 1200.... I have no idea where your 1600 sheet figure comes from.....

Sorry, I meant an 8 color Press. And yes, would you give your Pressman 1600 sheets for makeready on a 8 color sheetwise job? If so, I think you need to rethink your Pressmans skills before they put you out of business.