1. Variables Print Quality Factors that influence Print Quality
Print quality Standards for digital
What they are
How your facilty and workflow can affect your quality
Print Quality
Variables
Factors that influence Print Quality
David Carmichael – SUN Automation

2. Digital Print Standards
Within the printing industry, quality is an important concept.
Quality checks have become a standard for todays brand owners.
Quality assurance programs are widely used by box makers to insure customer satisfaction.

3. https://youtu.be/5iiJMv-jh7U
HP Thermal Print Heads
Epson Piezo Print Heads
Continuous Ink Jet

4. Digital Print Standards
A device that is able to consistently reproduce the entire visible color space is an unrealized goal within the engineering of color displays and printing processes.
Expectation

5. Setup Processes
Digital printing, when compared to legacy printing, is a hands-off process
A legacy press operator who has tested the inks and substrates can make modifications for any problems that might occur on the press
add surfactants
adjust press speed
add defoamers
adjust ink coverage
add primers
adjust plate pressure
prior to a pressrun
or on the fly

6. Setup Processes
Digital printing, when compared to legacy printing, is a hands-off process
Most legacy equipment is loaded and started before any adjustments are made to production quality!!
Start it, then tweak it.

7. Setup Processes
Digital printing, when compared to offset printing, is a hands-off process
To perform to their best capacity most production digital printing processes depend on
certified papers
color software
pre or post coatings
printhead performance
ink formulations
rasterization software
Most adjustments that need to be made to the digital printing process require the intervention of technical support personnel other than the press operator.

8. Setup Processes
To maximize the productivity of your digital printing process, make every effort to insure proper controls are in place
before
the job goes to print.

9. Print Quality
What do you do when?

10. Print Quality
What do you do when?
You’re going for this
You get this

11. Print Quality
Your Operator

12. Print Quality
You

13. Print Quality
Your Customer

14. Print Quality
What does this tell you?

15. Support Develop relationships with Subject Matter Experts
(the people who know your systems)
Conventional – operators with stubborn issues often has a peer group of operators up to and including supervisors and management where he/she can go for advice. Use Ross as example.
With conventional printing, there is a lot of ‘tribal knowledge’ in most facilities. For digital, this ‘Tribal Knowledge’ is in your network of SME’s.
The Technical Support most often needed:
Machine Operation
Color & Color Consistency
Image Placement
Ink/Substrate Compatibility

16. The Print Quality Pyramid
Image compliments of SGIA

17. Consistency is Key!! Print Quality Ambient/Environment
Consult your machine manual for proper:
Most box plants have:
a lot of airborne dust
Wide temperature and humidity fluctuations
Temp fluctuations can affect printhead alignment
Maintenance procedures
Printhead Alignment procedures
Media handling procedures
Media feed adjustments
Floor vibration
Ambient Temperature*
Ambient Humidity*
Jetting Temperature*
Substrate Temperature*
Printhead height*
* Also consult your ink supplier
Consistency is Key!!

18. Print Quality Environment Banding Nozzle issues Ink Bleed
Back to SMEs.
When your legacy equipment operators run into issues, they have knowledgeable people available as resources.
With Digital, not so much
Banding
Nozzle issues
Ink Bleed
Bad Dot Patterns
Ink Voids
Liner Cockling

19. Consistency is Key!! Print Quality Employees/processes/material flow
Consider your ability to maintain:
Most box plants have:
a lot of airborne dust
Wide temperature and humidity fluctuations
Temp fluctuations can affect printhead alignment
Ambient Temperature
Ambient Humidity
Media Quality
Media handling procedures
Substrate Temperature
Consistent steady power
Clean dry air
Maintenance procedures
Printhead Alignment procedures
Consistency is Key!!

20. Consistency is Key!! Print Quality Employees/processes/material flow
Are you able to provide:
Most box plants have:
a lot of airborne dust
Wide temperature and humidity fluctuations
Temp fluctuations can affect printhead alignment
Trainable resources with the ability to understand and operate complicated software.
Proper network infrastructure to handle the large files needed for Digital with due speed
Efficient processes for insuring timely logistics for files, sheets, consumables, customer checks, etc
Trainable operators that can transition from legacy equipment to Digital
Clean conditioned space for substrate storage and staging
Proper logistics for staging from printer to coater/die cutter/shipping
Consistency is Key!!

21. Operation – Operator Access
Print Quality
Operation – Operator Access

22. Operation – Service Access
Print Quality
Operation – Service Access

23. Thank You
David Carmichael