Production Efficiencies

Looking for ways to trim time, labor and cost throughout the printing process? Then you'll want to check out Domtar's newest piece featuring Lynx Opaque: More with Less, Production Efficiencies 2. The piece touts printing as an efficient medium, but acknowledges that today we are all asked to do more with less. That while the industry strives towards responsible management of resources, fiscal responsibility and clients demanding more value - efficiency is not optional, it's mandatory. Here are some tips for enhancing production efficiencies.

Rethink your ink - usage that it is when it comes to your layout. The number of inks used is a job significantly influences the sheet layout. In an eight page brochure with half the spreads printing five colors and the other half printing only one color, the most cost efficient way to lay out the sheet may be with all five color spreads printed on one side and the one color spreads on the other. While this may increase plate costs, the efficiency gained from using only one ink station during the second press run will more than make up the difference.

It's all about size. For most jobs, a standard sheet size will do - however, occasionally there are those that require a special sheet size for optimum efficiency. In these cases custom sheet sizes (or making orders) are the smartest choice. If the size and page count is large enough, you can achieve significant savings with a custom size sheet. For more info on custom sheeting, check out our state of the art converting facility, Deltacraft. The amount of business these plants do every day tells me there are some resourceful production managers out there making sure their clients are getting the biggest bang for their buck.

Don't for about folding and binding. How signatures are cut and folded out of a sheet plays a huge role in maxing out bindery efficiency. It's best for the binding edge to be parallel with the grain, this allows for greater success when scoring or gluing. Folding against the grain causes cracking on the spine, wrinkling or waviness in the sheet and poor pull strength - resulting in a book that tends to trap shut.

To request your copy of More with Less, or learn more about Deltacraft, click here.