PRODPP247 – Control digital colour printing machines
Overview
This standard covers the configuration, operation and control of 'production-scale' digital colour printing machines whether they are large format or sheet-fed machines.
It applies to you if you work in a studio, imaging bureau or digital printing environment and you are responsible for the operation of a production-scale digital colour printing machine.
Modern digital colour printing machines have become extremely sophisticated, high speed devices capable of producing high quality print. Some toner and inkjet printers can now produce print that is as good as or even better than 'litho' reproductions. Most digital printers also have a range of options for finishing 'in-line', ranging from a single staple of a collated set to a perfect bound book.
Whilst the operator interfaces for these machines often provide for quick and easy access for simple copying or printing, the additional controls available for managing colour, determining printing and finishing options can be complex and require a high level of knowledge and ability by the operator.
For documents sent directly to the printer from a computer, the inclusion (or omission) of a source or destination 'profile' in an image file and the selection in print dialogue boxes of colour matching or rendering options can make a dramatic difference to the colour output from the printer.
In order to maintain consistent colour output over time from a digital colour printer, it may also be necessary to run calibration routines at required intervals, to ensure that the colour management system within the workflow is correctly used and, if necessary, make sure that the colour profiles for the printer are still accurate.
Overall print quality is usually maintained by ensuring all consumables are replenished when required and using only the authorised materials for the machine.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
Prepare digital colour printing machines for print
check that digital colour printers are in serviceable condition and ready for production and that colour calibration and/or other periodic checks are up to date
check that the job details you have are complete, including details of the imposition and post-printing requirements
check that you have enough materials of the right type to complete the job
preflight digital files for printing and check whether any source or destination colour profiles are embedded in documents
set printer software to handle any colour profiles in the way required for the job
follow your organisations procedures to deal with any incorrect embedded colour profiles
set up print parameters for printers and job requirements, including any colour settings
use correct settings to download or print digital job file(s) to digital printing machines
check image is complete, colour accurate, free from contamination or other faults, and in register
check fonts, substrates, imposition, scaling and orientation are correct
check any duplexing or finishing options are correct
adjust machines or print download settings as necessary to achieve required job specifications and quality standards
report any machine faults which it is not your job to correct in accordance with organisational procedures
Run and monitor production on digital colour printing machines
run digital printing machine so that it is safe and efficient and at the required speed in accordance with organisational procedures
keep up sufficient supplies of materials and consumables to ensure runs continue as long as necessary for the specified job
check at regular intervals that print outputs including quality of image, colour consistency and finishing accuracy meet job specifications and required quality standards
resolve any machine problems which arise during runs that affect quality or productivity in accordance with organisational procedures
record production and quality assurance details, ensuring information is accurate, in accordance with organisational procedures
follow the correct procedure for the removal of waste
stack work safely, using the approved method
Knowledge and understanding
You need to know and understand
the law as it affects printing: defamation, copyright and ownership of images, obscenity, incitement, forgery, data protection, the printers imprint
ethical issues relevant to printing: confidentiality
your duties and responsibilities for health and safety as defined by any specific legislation covering your job role
the hazards and risks in your own job, their assessment and the action to take to deal with them
the manufacturers' and suppliers' health and safety instructions / advice
what kinds of customer materials are likely to be handled, including original photographs or artwork, samples, disks, raw materials for print or finishing
techniques for protecting customer materials
the potential for loss or damage
security and storage: computer system security and virus protection, the print with time-sensitive or restricted release dates, the high value products or print with a high risk of theft
how to securely archive digital and conventional artwork
how to communicate with colleagues, customers and suppliers
workplace objectives, priorities, standards and procedures
the way you actually do your job, more particularly the activities and techniques and the way that materials and equipment are used
the set-up of digital communications equipment and software
the operation of digital communications equipment and software
the principles of digital printing
file conversion techniques
file compression and decompression techniques
how to transmit digital files
file management procedures
the effect that colour matching and rendering options can have on output
how to set print dialogue boxes
how to operate large format or sheet-fed machines
calibration routines and their frequency
when to replenish consumables and where to obtain them
the causes and treatment of common faults: raw material faults, processing faults, machine faults
administrative procedures: planning and scheduling, recording and reporting
product labelling
the legal requirements for the classification, storage, carriage and disposal of waste
the main features of quality assurance and quality control systems
techniques for controlling quality
equipment for controlling quality in printing
light standards for viewing and assessing colour print
types of problems that may need to be solved
sources of information
techniques for solving complex problems
techniques for assessing machine faults
the types and characteristics of paper, board and other commonly used substrates includes the range of commonly used uncoated, coated, embossed papers and boards; grammage, thickness, opacity, brightness/whiteness, strength, dimensional stability, gloss the types and characteristics of inks, toners & coatings
how to maintain the quality of materials during storage and handling
Scope/range
The operator has the ability to control all aspects of a production-scale digital colour printing machine in a production environment – to keep the machine running consistently from day to day, to maintain colour accuracy, to solve problems that may arise and to understand and use correctly all the parameters and options in the printer software and device driver / print dialogue boxes.
Note: This standard has been written for operators of 'production-scale' digital printers and therefore operation of an office or desktop laser/inkjet printer is not relevant to this standard
Keywords: digital, print, pre-press, pre press, machines
PRODPP247 – Control digital colour printing machines
Overview
This standard covers the configuration, operation and control of 'production-scale' digital colour printing machines whether they are large format or sheet-fed machines.
It applies to you if you work in a studio, imaging bureau or digital printing environment and you are responsible for the operation of a production-scale digital colour printing machine.
Modern digital colour printing machines have become extremely sophisticated, high speed devices capable of producing high quality print. Some toner and inkjet printers can now produce print that is as good as or even better than 'litho' reproductions. Most digital printers also have a range of options for finishing 'in-line', ranging from a single staple of a collated set to a perfect bound book.
Whilst the operator interfaces for these machines often provide for quick and easy access for simple copying or printing, the additional controls available for managing colour, determining printing and finishing options can be complex and require a high level of knowledge and ability by the operator.
For documents sent directly to the printer from a computer, the inclusion (or omission) of a source or destination 'profile' in an image file and the selection in print dialogue boxes of colour matching or rendering options can make a dramatic difference to the colour output from the printer.
In order to maintain consistent colour output over time from a digital colour printer, it may also be necessary to run calibration routines at required intervals, to ensure that the colour management system within the workflow is correctly used and, if necessary, make sure that the colour profiles for the printer are still accurate.
Overall print quality is usually maintained by ensuring all consumables are replenished when required and using only the authorised materials for the machine.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
Prepare digital colour printing machines for print
Run and monitor production on digital colour printing machines
Knowledge and understanding
You need to know and understand
Scope/range
The operator has the ability to control all aspects of a production-scale digital colour printing machine in a production environment – to keep the machine running consistently from day to day, to maintain colour accuracy, to solve problems that may arise and to understand and use correctly all the parameters and options in the printer software and device driver / print dialogue boxes.
Note: This standard has been written for operators of 'production-scale' digital printers and therefore operation of an office or desktop laser/inkjet printer is not relevant to this standard
Keywords: digital, print, pre-press, pre press, machines