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.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Reflecting on Dot Gain
Dot gain, one of the fundamental metrics of printing, has recently come to be called TVI or Tonal Value Increase. It's a distinction without a difference, an attempt to deal with the fact that digital prints may not have dots, but specs. Maybe we could call it spec gain. Both terms describe the tendency for tonal gradations to "gain weight" as a part of the reproduction process.
Old-school thinking was "Low dotgain good, high dotgain bad". Since CTP, thinking has switched. The feeling is that as long as we can control dotgain with curves, everything should be fine. but there is a fallacy here. As dot gain or TVI increases, press stability decreases. The curves that control excessive dot gain amplify normal press variations. The result is a shaky, unreliable press that can't be controlled. The moral: uses curves for minor correction when needed, but beware of overly-strong corrections. In the long run, they will fail you.
Old-school thinking was "Low dotgain good, high dotgain bad". Since CTP, thinking has switched. The feeling is that as long as we can control dotgain with curves, everything should be fine. but there is a fallacy here. As dot gain or TVI increases, press stability decreases. The curves that control excessive dot gain amplify normal press variations. The result is a shaky, unreliable press that can't be controlled. The moral: uses curves for minor correction when needed, but beware of overly-strong corrections. In the long run, they will fail you.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Our industry is changing so quickly that almost all discussion turns immediately to technology: the newest widget, the hottest trend, or the most advanced new application. So it is especially refreshing to see that at the latest PODI AppForum-where you'd expect to hear a 100% focus on new technologies-at least one attendant heard a different message.
For Cory Sawatski of Consolidated Graphics, the takeaway was....training!
"I came here basically to see what everybody else was talking about in the digital realm, data management, asset management, data mining, digital print, cross media and that’s all kind of represented here. I’ve seen a number of the speakers so far and one of the areas that seems really intriguingly important that I really haven’t heard so much before is training. I’m hearing everybody talk about train, teach your people"
Check out the video on What They Think. Exotic technology comes and goes, but training your workforce.....that's an advantage that sticks!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Solar Powered Printing Press
A solar powered printing press still sounds futuristic, and probably little impractical, but in fact a working solar press was demonstrated back in the '80s.....the 1880's.
Abel Pifre demonstrated his press in 1882 and used sunlight concentrated using an 11 foot concave reflector. He envisioned the device being practical for areas such as Peru and Egypt, where sunlight is practical.
Sadly, while technically successful, the solar press never became a commercial success, Tony McGinley tells the whole story in his sustainable energy blog.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Overcoming G7 Process Control Resistance
It's a common pattern: Printers buy new hardware, new software and pony up for G7 qualification, only to find that within a few short weeks or months, the operation seems to be drifting away from G7 process control and back into old, unproductive habits. Fact is, this pattern is hardly the exception, it is more frequently the rule. While it is all to easy to find fault with the G7 methodology itself, the cause is something much more universal to all new technologies:
What we see as a failure of technology is most often not technical, but social and cultural. Attempts to make change usually falter not because the new way doesn’t work or because the product is faulty, but because not enough attention has been paid to the human factors that can make any kind of change a challenging proposition.
In other words, the challenge is less technical that behavioral, and success can only be gained by addressing the human and cultural issues. I've addressed this in an article written for PIA 's "Magazine". Read the whole thing here.
What we see as a failure of technology is most often not technical, but social and cultural. Attempts to make change usually falter not because the new way doesn’t work or because the product is faulty, but because not enough attention has been paid to the human factors that can make any kind of change a challenging proposition.
In other words, the challenge is less technical that behavioral, and success can only be gained by addressing the human and cultural issues. I've addressed this in an article written for PIA 's "Magazine". Read the whole thing here.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Process Control Habits
Coming into mid-Janurary, many people who had made resolutions to become fit are realizing that physical fitness is not a "once and done" project but a continuous habit of daily striving. Achieving true process control in a printing process is equally difficult, but far too many printers try to shortcut the process, thinking that a few days of intensive training or a quick G7 qualification will make their problems vanish. In almost every case, disappointment sets in quickly as management and staff fall back into old habits.
Moving from the old "seat-of-the-pants" approach to printing to a metrics-based approach of printing to standards requires a commitment very similar to a fitness plan....and just as much time. To achieve process control success on press, the pressroom must set up a program to exchange old habits for new ones.
Start the Change Cycle:
Set the New Pressroom Goal: Success requires an objective. Just obtaining G7 Master Printer status from a color consultant is not a goal...just a method. The goal must be to achieve true process control on press, based on objective standards based metrics.
Pursue the New Pressroom Goal: No matter how well your G7 Qualification went, you will not achieve 100% success right away...in fact, the trend is for the process to drift out of control until pressmen have fallen back onto old habits. try for small successes, like consistent density readings, first.
Achieve the New Pressroom Goal: Unfortunately, few pressrooms achieve the goal of true process control. If you do, consider yourselves the exception...and smile.
Repeat: Success is never forever. The process will drift, problems will crop up, old habits will come back. Process control is a habit, not an event. For more ideas on continuous improvement in the pressroom, visit me at Color Clarity.
Moving from the old "seat-of-the-pants" approach to printing to a metrics-based approach of printing to standards requires a commitment very similar to a fitness plan....and just as much time. To achieve process control success on press, the pressroom must set up a program to exchange old habits for new ones.
Start the Change Cycle:
Set the New Pressroom Goal: Success requires an objective. Just obtaining G7 Master Printer status from a color consultant is not a goal...just a method. The goal must be to achieve true process control on press, based on objective standards based metrics.
Pursue the New Pressroom Goal: No matter how well your G7 Qualification went, you will not achieve 100% success right away...in fact, the trend is for the process to drift out of control until pressmen have fallen back onto old habits. try for small successes, like consistent density readings, first.
Achieve the New Pressroom Goal: Unfortunately, few pressrooms achieve the goal of true process control. If you do, consider yourselves the exception...and smile.
Repeat: Success is never forever. The process will drift, problems will crop up, old habits will come back. Process control is a habit, not an event. For more ideas on continuous improvement in the pressroom, visit me at Color Clarity.
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