SGIA Journal Graphic November/December 2016 - 74

noticed grass was growing healthy but only
in narrow strips, in trench-like rows, the
kind of rows that only underinflated tires
can possibly cause! An otherwise perfectly
looking lawn was entirely ruined because
the mower's tires were not properly inflated
for the job.
Fast-forward three years later, proof of
underinflated tires was still visually evident
for all to see, and probably will be for some
time to come. I drove by the house one
day and it can only be described as being
an ugly-looking lawn, particularly when
compared to those neat ones either side of
his. I heard later he had the whole lawn dug
up and rolled out to get it back to its original
condition, but at a huge cost.
It took three years to correct the damage,
a luxury no screen printer can afford,
especially with low-volume jobs. Assistant
Professor, Sam Hoff, RIT New York, best
summed it up by saying, "If there were no
time to print the job properly the first time
- where do you find the time to reprint it!"
Profitability is Inextricably Linked to
Efficient Productivity

In retrospect, it is amazing how we take
things for granted. In the riding mower
scenario, underinflated tires played havoc
to the beauty of one's homely landscape.
While correct tire pressure plays a role

72 | SGIA Journal

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to provide the proper foundation to do
a job, suitable tension is in reality the
foundation that supports welfare of the
image. Therefore, tension has an enormous
influence on visual appearance including
productivity.
High-quality productivity in the world
of screen print is a factor of how well
screens are made to begin with, in order
to take advantage of press speed rather
than relying mechanical on press speed
alone. Production speed, or physical
hourly output rate, by extension is entirely
dependent on what the screen printing
press receives. The more "perfect" the
screen is (whatever level that may mean for
any company including suitable tension),
inevitably reduces obstacles that inhibits
advancement, and thus opens the road to
high productivity.
When productivity is unhindered, it
translates into a more profitable business
model, especially with lower quantities,
due to improving competitiveness of print
unit cost. A further outcome is that it does
not require large capital investments to
achieve the objective, just the inclination
to improve tension during screen making.
To make the most of the screen, one
must not neglect to reign in the many
hidden benef its the process has to
offers, or fail to encourage continuous

November/December 2016

improvements to succeed beyond all
expectations. Surprisingly by default,
excelling in performa nce through
production efficiency will take care of
itself, together with remarkably lower print
quantities that impacts the bottom line.
British-born Mike Young has been
a specialist in high-definition graphic
and industrial screen printing for more
than 45 years. He is an SGIA member
and past chair of the Academy of Screen
& Digital Printing Technology, and a
recipient of the prestigious Swormstedt
Award for technical writing. He is also
a frequent contributing writer to various
trade publications, SGIA Golden Imaging
Award print judge, legal expert witness and
a popular speaker at industry events. Mike
is the creator of the internationally known
Troubleshooting Chart and published
several technical books on advance screen
printing techniques, including The Register
Guide about achieving print excellence.
He frequently consults a number of leading
high-profile screen printing companies
and conducts hands-on advance process
training sessions around the world. Mike
operates his own Connecticut-based
consulting company, Imagetek Consulting
International and can be reached at
mike@imagetekconsulting.com

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SGIA Journal Graphic November/December 2016

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