Here are five simple ways to save money as a rotogravure printer.
Gravure printers are always looking for ways to improve quality while reducing waste and unnecessary costs. Here are a few ways printers can optimize their workflows for a better margin on projects.
● Optimize Your Cell Volume: The volume of the cells on a printing cylinder is measured in BCM (billion cubic microns). Having too much volume wastes ink and increases drying time, which reduces max press speed. Experiment to find the right cell volume for your ink, varnish or adhesive, and substrate.
● Use Gravure for Repeated Print Runs: Gravure is highly efficient after beginning a print job. Using gravure for jobs with repeated press runs or longer press runs will lower overall cost per impression.
● Save and Reuse Cylinders: New gravure bases are an investment, but they can be reused almost indefinitely. Keep an inventory of base sizes you are likely to have future orders for and reuse them when the orders come in.
● Experiment to Reduce Wear: Several factors can contribute to cylinder wear. If you are experiencing excess wear on your cylinder, check on the relative hardness of your doctor blade and cylinder chrome, talk with the ink supplier to see if the particle size is up to spec, filter the ink, request a crosshatch polish on your cylinder, and increase the cylinders' chrome roughness.
● Rechrome Before It's Too Late: When the chrome layer starts to show wear, it's important to get the cylinder off the press and have it rechromed. Once the copper starts to show, it's probably too late for a rechrome, and a full remake will be required.
Evaluating these five points can help you reduce costs and increase efficiency without hurting quality.
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