Inline Versus Offline Inspection

Inline vs. offline inspection systems

Inline inspection systems are used while printing on a press to show issues with registration , streaking, or voids so they can be corrected quickly and have minimal impact on the job, according to Scott Durfee, district manager for Fife Corp. These systems look for printing defects and continuous style problems. Offline inspection is suitable for a slitter/rewinder where the converter slits a printed roll down to the required size. “[Operators] will use this system to detect a hickey, spot, or some other intermittent style problem,” says Durfee. “Once it’s detected, they’ll stop the machine, flag the issue, or splice it out.”