Preps Templates for a Web Press

[Jimmy]

I've been using Preps to make plates for sheetfed presses for 11 years but for the first time I am going to be making plates for a web press. Since the paper is on a roll and not a sheet, when you set up the template in Preps, what is the best practice (or standard mode of operation) as far as entering a sheet size and press sheet edge to punch center? Do you make the sheet size the same size as the plate and set the press sheet edge to punch center to 0 (zero)? Do you center the artwork on the plate?

Thanks in advance for any tips.

 

[Joe]

I've been using Preps to make plates for sheetfed presses for 11 years but for the first time I am going to be making plates for a web press. Since the paper is on a roll and not a sheet, when you set up the template in Preps, what is the best practice (or standard mode of operation) as far as entering a sheet size and press sheet edge to punch center? Do you make the sheet size the same size as the plate and set the press sheet edge to punch center to 0 (zero)? Do you center the artwork on the plate?

Thanks in advance for any tips.

We do it exactly like that and then we move the whole image at output the correct distance and direction for the gripper of the press it's going to be used on.

You can also make the sheet size the width of the roll by the cutoff of the press which is the true sheet size of a web press.

 

[bean66]

we set our sheet size by roll width and cutoff length for the press. We then set the layback for our lead bend in the Signature Information under the Press sheet edge to punch center.

 

[Jimmy]

Will the cut off length be a consistent dimension for the press or is it per job spec?

 

[Joe]

It's press specific (we have 4 and they are all different) for our presses and never changes.

 

[Al Ferrari]

we set our sheet size by roll width and cutoff length for the press. We then set the layback for our lead bend in the Signature Information under the Press sheet edge to punch center.

That can certainly work just fine, and I have used it successfully for several years in the past. Bu I now think it is better to set that to zero, and make the adjustment device specific with the punch coordinate Y axis in the punch location dialog in Device Configuration using the Punch button.

That way the same Template Signature can be used with different presses having different setbacks as in Joe's case by setting up a virtual "Plate Setter" for each press each one based on the same plate recorder. So by just changing from "Plate Setter 1" to "Plate Setter n" a different setback distance is used without altering the signature which may be also used in another job running on a different press. Just name the plate setters using the Press name. I use "Rolland 40 plate setter" and "SM 74 plate setter".

Note that to avoid a double adjustment, one or the other method should be used consistently.

Al Ferrari

 

[Joe]

That can certainly work just fine, and I have used it successfully for several years in the past. Bu I now think it is better to set that to zero, and make the adjustment device specific with the punch coordinate Y axis in the punch location dialog in Device Configuration using the Punch button.

That way the same Template Signature can be used with different presses having different setbacks as in Joe's case by setting up a virtual "Plate Setter" for each press each one based on the same plate recorder. So by just changing from "Plate Setter 1" to "Plate Setter n" a different setback distance is used without altering the signature which may be also used in another job running on a different press. Just name the plate setters using the Press name. I use "Rolland 40 plate setter" and "SM 74 plate setter".

Note that to avoid a double adjustment, one or the other method should be used consistently.

Al Ferrari

We can't use the same templates for different presses because the press cutoff is different for each one. We have to change the spacing between the pages to make the cutoff right for each press. Ideally the cutoff would be the same for all presses but that's not the case for us.

 

[Al Ferrari]

Thanks for pointing that out Joe. Since my experience is with sheet fed presses, my comments were intended to provide a way of using the same signature as long as the press sheet or web cutoff and web width are the same but the setback different. Of course if the press sheet size changes, a different signature is needed in web or sheet fed presses.

Al

 

[RickLee]

out of curiosity how do you guys incorporate the mooring bars? We use the zero setback in preps also but full roll width to get our bars in. is there another way? The platesetter takes care of the setback for each bender.