Most of us who work on bindery equipment get pretty good training on how to use the equipment itself, typically through a mix of on-the-job training and instruction by manufacturer’s reps. I suspect that most get very little, if any, training on how to troubleshoot and repair that same equipment. This sort of knowledge is typically a result of experience.
I periodically get letters from bindery equipment operators and others in the printing industry who feel stuck in their jobs, or are underemployed, unemployed or are at a loss as to how to advance their career. They want advice. Considering the very personal nature of their situations I realize that reaching out like this is a big, vulnerable step. I know because I’ve been in the same situation.
In a previous Bindery Success blog article we discussed problems that can arise when trying to feed thin, porous signatures (usually 4 pages) on saddle stitcher inserters or perfect binder gatherers. Details are here if you want to give it a quick review. Today we have one more quick fix on the subject sent to us by Todd Summers of Nittany Valley Offset.
No matter what we put on paper—inks, varnishes, coatings, foil or film—we must not forget to pay attention to one of the biggest factors in how well paper is printed and finished. That is, of course, the print shop environment.
I’m not sure what my work area says about me. If I were the boss of me I might have to say something to myself. Psychologists love to study all that stuff and tell us it means something about our personalities. I’m sure it does. But what really matters is how our work area aids (or inhibits) our productivity.
Experience is a double-edged sword. On the plus side, an experienced bindery equipment staffer can bring lots of skill and know-how to production operations. It saves time, training, mistakes and keeps things flowing smoothly. It’s only natural that owners and managers of printing and bindery businesses love such employees, especially in a region where they’re hard to find.
My first unforgettable exposure to the dangers of fork lifts goes back to before I ever set foot in a print shop. The experience was responsible in part for instilling the caution I later had when working around bindery and material handling equipment.
As a bindery novice, folding machines with pile feeders made me want to pull out my hair, or on a really bad day, someone else’s hair. The bigger the pile of crumpled paper around the folder, the further away my co-workers would stay. Except for one friend who intentionally waited until I reached the breaking point. With a Cheshire grin he’d slap me on the back and say, “Hey, Andre, how’s it going?!” In time, I learned a few things about pile feeders which didn’t keep my friend away, but they kept the folder running smoothly.
Most of us are accustomed to hearing about awards, usually bestowed one colleague to another by institutions from within our printing industry. But how would we fare out there in the big, bad world? Graham Harris decided to find out.
A good part of my bindery work experience included the high volume guillotine cutting of millions of little tags and labels for a printer who serviced the garment industry. These ranged from tiny cloth garment tags (you know, like the ones inside t-shirts that scratch and annoy you) to tags and labels printed on regular stock.