You know, there is something about process control that's a lot like water: it doesn't flow uphill. A lot of commendable work on process control starts down in the trenches, with serious committed workers who want to see things get better, and often it falis to pan out. What happens? Here's the problem. Quality control is really about creating a feedback loop of communication-correction-comunication. That means that all the parts have to be both connected and active. No everyone is interested, and so breaks appear in the feedback loop, and it eventually breaks down.
Since individuals in different departments don't tell each other what to do (they haven't the authority) when one player decides he isn't interested, that's the end of it. Ciao process control!
That's why process control is a downhill game, There has to be support from the the top making sure that everybody keeps the feedback loop going.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
Supercrunchers!
Can we really tell how well a pressrun will match a proof will look by measuring a few patches on the tail of the sheet? A lot of old time pressmen will tell you that it's impossible, that "We're not selling colorbars", and that there is no substitute for careful eyeballing on press.
Well, some smart decision makers are finding that crunching the right data can lead to uncannily accurate predictions on everything from the price of next year's Bordeaux to future world population to how long your marriage will last. It's called Supercrunching, and the concept is causing quite a bit of excitement. They are doing it "by the numbers", and in many cases, are doing it when the stakes are very high.
So why is it that so often, we don't do it in the pressroom. What if I told you that, based on just three measurements, taken in under 10 seconds, that I could predict with better than 90% accuracy how well a press sheet would match a proof. Supercrunching on press works, and if you aren't doing it, you may be missing the best way to imp[rove productivity and quality.
Well, some smart decision makers are finding that crunching the right data can lead to uncannily accurate predictions on everything from the price of next year's Bordeaux to future world population to how long your marriage will last. It's called Supercrunching, and the concept is causing quite a bit of excitement. They are doing it "by the numbers", and in many cases, are doing it when the stakes are very high.
So why is it that so often, we don't do it in the pressroom. What if I told you that, based on just three measurements, taken in under 10 seconds, that I could predict with better than 90% accuracy how well a press sheet would match a proof. Supercrunching on press works, and if you aren't doing it, you may be missing the best way to imp[rove productivity and quality.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
The Male Code and the Pressroom
We all know about the Male Code, those rules that govern the behavior of guys: Always split the lunch bill in two, no matter what, never speak in a public restroom, and never, ever, ever ask for directions.
But how about the male code in the pressroom? Pressmen are mostly guys, does some form of the Male Code exist in the pressroom, and how does it affect performance?
The central tenent of the Male Code-never, ever, ever ask for directions.-is probably the biggest obstacle to great presswork. Presses are pesky things, subject to all sorts of mechanical and atmospheric conditions. These variable factors affect press performance, especially in the area of dot gain. Now a pressman has limited control over dot gain, but dot gain is easily changed by the use of plate curves. Problem is, plate curves are set up over in the prepress department, and getting a change made would involve asking for help-a direct violation of the Male Code.
Overcoming the Male Code in the pressroom is a tough problem, and we will talk about different ways to get over this obstacle in future posts.
But how about the male code in the pressroom? Pressmen are mostly guys, does some form of the Male Code exist in the pressroom, and how does it affect performance?
The central tenent of the Male Code-never, ever, ever ask for directions.-is probably the biggest obstacle to great presswork. Presses are pesky things, subject to all sorts of mechanical and atmospheric conditions. These variable factors affect press performance, especially in the area of dot gain. Now a pressman has limited control over dot gain, but dot gain is easily changed by the use of plate curves. Problem is, plate curves are set up over in the prepress department, and getting a change made would involve asking for help-a direct violation of the Male Code.
Overcoming the Male Code in the pressroom is a tough problem, and we will talk about different ways to get over this obstacle in future posts.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Solving Our Problems with Stuff
Every time I return to work from a trip to a trade show or technical conference, I have the same impression: "Wow!" "How about all that stuff!" By stuff I mean all the solutions that get presented to a rapt audience. Workflows! Systems! Solutions!Transformative Technologies!.
It really can make your head spin. All that great-looking stuff! But will it work? Will it provide the solution it promises? Will it solve your problems? Will it make your workplace better, your production more efficient, your quality more outstanding? Well, I'm not really so sure. In fact, I'm pretty sure that in a lot of cases it won't make things better. And this isn't because it isn't good stuff. It probably is. But it probably wont solve you problems because most of the problems we face in the color business have nothing to do with the stuff....they have to do with the people.
We are all in a project together...to make great color, by offset, screen, or digital, and most of the stuff needed to do this is probably already in place. What we need now is communication and coordination. We need to become a team. Enjoy looking at the stuff? Go ahead, enjoy. We all like good gear. But for real improvement, look first to yourselves, to your team, and ask the question: "How can we make things better with the stuff we already have?"
It really can make your head spin. All that great-looking stuff! But will it work? Will it provide the solution it promises? Will it solve your problems? Will it make your workplace better, your production more efficient, your quality more outstanding? Well, I'm not really so sure. In fact, I'm pretty sure that in a lot of cases it won't make things better. And this isn't because it isn't good stuff. It probably is. But it probably wont solve you problems because most of the problems we face in the color business have nothing to do with the stuff....they have to do with the people.
We are all in a project together...to make great color, by offset, screen, or digital, and most of the stuff needed to do this is probably already in place. What we need now is communication and coordination. We need to become a team. Enjoy looking at the stuff? Go ahead, enjoy. We all like good gear. But for real improvement, look first to yourselves, to your team, and ask the question: "How can we make things better with the stuff we already have?"
Monday, January 2, 2012
New Viewing Standard
Well, I can't believe how long it has been since I posted to the blog. Shame on me! A lot happened at the recent IPA color conference in Phoenix, but one of the most interesting developments happened outside of the official events. Great! Real world events race ahead of planned presentations!
The new standard for lighting, ISO 3664, specifies increased UV content. What does this mean? That extra UV energy is invisible by itself, but it excites the optical brighteners in many commercial printing papers, making them look brighter and bluer. Problem is, during the past few years, zero optical brightener has become a strong tend in proofing papers. The result is that proofing papers, with zero OBA's, and printing papers, with sometimes very large amounts of OBA's, look completely different when viewed under the new UV-rich lighting.
The problem is not really new, but the new standard has made it more noticeable in the light booth. That's a good thing, because we want our light booth to reflect real life, but in a controlled way. Proofing paper manufacturers may be reconsidering the zero OBA focus, and we will cover that in a future blog.
The new standard for lighting, ISO 3664, specifies increased UV content. What does this mean? That extra UV energy is invisible by itself, but it excites the optical brighteners in many commercial printing papers, making them look brighter and bluer. Problem is, during the past few years, zero optical brightener has become a strong tend in proofing papers. The result is that proofing papers, with zero OBA's, and printing papers, with sometimes very large amounts of OBA's, look completely different when viewed under the new UV-rich lighting.
The problem is not really new, but the new standard has made it more noticeable in the light booth. That's a good thing, because we want our light booth to reflect real life, but in a controlled way. Proofing paper manufacturers may be reconsidering the zero OBA focus, and we will cover that in a future blog.
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