A Day in the Life of a Print Job -- Part 3

Press checks for the instruction booklets started promptly at 10:00 a.m. today. This time there was nothing keeping me from attending... no snow days, schedule conflicts or delays of any sort... so I was a happy camper. :)

As you come in, the pressman usually has your press sheet up on the table ready to be checked over. They were able to get all 6 of my front & back covers plus 1 interior spread on one press sheet. Pretty impressive, if you ask me!



The first thing I do is look for registration issues. This is the pressman's lupe. I tried to get as close to it with my camera and see if you could actually see the dot pattern through the magnifying glass, but my photo didn't turn out as clear as I expected it. Oh well! But trust me, you can see each and every dot through that thing. Any registration issues will be clear & visible right away. Everything was in perfect registration. YAY! :)



Next, we compare the press sheet to the Sherpa proof to see if there are any color discrepancies. In this photo I am holding the Sherpa proof on my left hand while I point at a little bit of redness I noticed in one small area of the press sheet. By the look on my pressman's face I'd say he probably thinks I'm crazy! LOL!



I check my signature red and lime green colors from the MODKID logo to make sure the color is accurate and consistent throughout and I also check for good skin tones and things like that. Pressman Kenny is at my side the entire time to answer questions or make quick color adjustments.



Oh, see those greenish-looking sheets on the lower right hand corner of this next photo? Those are the plates from which the press sheets are made. There is one for each process color, C=Cyan, M=Magenta, Y=Yellow and K=Black. All 4 of those together make up a 4-color print job like mine.



Here is a closer look at those plates...



My booklets always go on a 6-color press, like this Heidelberg Speedmaster because in addition to the 4 process colors, they get a Dull Aqueous Coating, which is like a varnish that is applied in-line and is actually considered a 5th color.

(Isn't this thing massive?)

When the press sheets come out of the machine, they have the coating already applied. We added the aqueous coating to minimize glare on the booklet when your are sewing and also to protect the pages from fingerprints, grease, water, etc.



Next up... trimming, folding and saddle-stitching. Stay tuned!