Die Lifelines

Once properly fitted, Smith stresses operators should avoid setting loose objects (such as razor blades) on the press, as they will most likely fall into the web and through the die station, causing serious damage. Above all things, printers should protect the cutting edge of the die. For flexible dies, this area is relatively fragile. Therefore, they should never be stacked on one another without a protective layer in between, state Bussard and Love. Also, operators should remove all jewelry before handling dies, and should shield the dies from any bumps to avoid nicks.