Best Practices: Press Operator Training

Digital presses are in many ways simpler to operate, but require different and often more conceptual levels of knowledge. Xeikon installation and training manager Tom Grenick says the essentials include understanding the concepts of calibration, color density control and registration. But the details go much deeper because the magic of digital presses takes place under the covers, rather than out in the open as it does on flexo machines. HP’s Michel Assenheimer, a senior manager and engineer in the company’s R & D Quality group, likens digital press operators to airline pilots in terms of needing to follow specific rules and procedures. “By establishing checklists and scheduled routines, pilots and press operators alike minimize risks and improve the experience for all.”