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Answer: T-Head Or 2 Pass? T-Head!

Copyright Thomas P. Crouser, December 12, 1995 Crouser & Associates - Helping Printers Prosper Since 1985

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Also includes pricing and estimating/production standards for Pleasing Color.
(304) 342-5100. 1996 CROUSER GUIDE N-O-W S-H-I-P-P-I-N-G!!!

Originally Transmitted from: Chicago, IL.

One printer recently wrote: . . .we have a Ryobi 3200 with swing-away T-head. However, that pressman keeps running 2-color jobs with a 2nd pass, even with quantities 2000+. Both pressman say that running the T-head is sort of a pain, and no pressman really likes running it anyway. I ve seen some great work from other printers done on the T-head, but must confess I don t print any more. Color is becoming a larger & larger share of our revenue and I feel it will keep doing so. We are 4 days away from reaching $1 million for the first time. Any comment or suggestion? New Pressman? Please give some solid reason for 2-color in one pass vs. 2 pass. THANKS!

Solid Reasons?


Well, the printer wanted Solid Reasons. I didn t think two was enough. So, I turned to you, the experts. Solid Reasons came from Massachusetts, Texas, Florida, California, Mississippi, Oklahoma and points in between. And the solid reasons were the same.

From: pep@tiac.net (Peter Peck)
Hi - Sounds like this guy needs a new pressmen. T-heads are a little more cumbersome to set up but if the operators don t use it they will never get good at it. The T head is a big money saver especially on long runs. The longer the run the bigger the savings. Registration is the other reason to insist use of the T head. Its kind of set it and forget it as long as the plates don t stretch. Last but not least - envelopes are no fun at all the second time thru and registration usually suffers. Don t let the pressmen run the shop - they are doing it the EASY way not the most profitable way. Good Luck - Peter

Peter Peck -- Nothing Ventured Nothing Gained
My Printing Business Pages: http://www.tiac.net/biz/pep/SPI.html


From: JRSWETT
For runs of 1000 sheets or more, I highly recommend the T-head. Yes, it is a highly temperamental beast that may never work the same way twice, but for the skilled operator it does significantly enhance production. If your operator is worth the investment, consider sending him/her to the Townsend training class (balancing, care, tricks for use etc.) Another good exercise is to have him/her print with the T-head only for a few days to help with his/her comfort level. (remove the main rollers but keep solution in the tray and only ink up the T-head)

If the operators reasoning stems from heavy coverage or multiple pass tight registration issues on a regular basis, consider up grading to a two tower press.

From: RonD007
Why oh why... would you not want to run the T whenever you could? The only time we would even consider 2 passes would be if the two inks would trap and run the risk contamination such as black & yellow. Still.... we ve run black & yellow on short runs. With soooo, oh sooo many printers using a T head it appears that your pressmen are not making a logical decision. Do you have a shortage of work and they are stringing things out to last the workday? How productive are your pressman overall? Do you measure their activity? Sounds like you need to sit down with your pressmen and find out the real problem? Good Luck!!

RonD007......is.....Ron Dobransky
Tom s Note: RonD007 is also an unabashed diehard Maryland fan.

From: CMCopy
There s no question the T-Head saves a lot of time on runs of about 1500 and higher. Another consideration is whether ink over ink is required. A T-Head may not handle some of this work. With the right design (and we try to sell the right design) the T-Head is indispensable. This has been one of our smarter buys; it definitely saves time.

From: ProntoJim
With the exception of process color and overprints I can t see running ANY job 2 times. It just makes the cost of the job (presstime and waste) 2+ more. We run all 2 color spot color job on the T-Head for quality (don t have to worry about hairline register) and speed. With the overprints like solid red with black type overprinted you can knock out the black and run with 1 pass. I would think your pressman is running the business and not you. My thoughts for what it is worth.

From: EinPrint
T-heads were invented to save time and enable duplicators to do true press work, and they do! If your press operators aren t using them then I would question the following:

My suggestion is if your using paper plates on the T-head don t, make sure the equipment is working properly, then insist the T-head is used or you ll find someone that is willing to use it. We ve used t-heads for 14 years and I can t imagine printing with out. Good Luck, Keith

From: GK85
Once a pressman becomes proficient at running a T-Head, you re profit ratio increases since he s then running a 2 color job in almost half the time, allowing more time to produce more jobs in a day. Our press operators always run the T-head for 2 color. All our presses have T-Heads (5 total). I recommend serious thought to training and eliminating the pain your press operators are experiencing. After all, it s costing you more money to complete a job. A learning curve is sure to appear painful also but will pay off in the end if you persist. Good Luck, Greg @ Grant Printing, Hollywood, FL

From: RayANDREWS
We have a T-Head on an A.B. Dick 360CD. Our time studies show us the T-Head setup becomes more profitable than two one-color passes between 1,000 and 1,500 impressions.

When very tight registration is an issue (particularly when it is at more than one point on the piece), we might well use the T-head on shorter runs because of the increased control we get by seeing the finished piece at the setup stage (are the plates accurately matched, is their plate stretch, etc.)

One important consideration: unless registration is really no issue, metal plates are really necessary to produce a quality job.

As to the sort of a pain issue with the pressmen, we ve found that the only answer is to INSIST on using the T-head as frequently as possible. The more frequently it is used, the less pain it is to use. There is no doubt that using the T-Head presents more variables to the guy/gal running the press (2 fountain solutions to watch, 2 ink fountains to watch, etc. etc. -twice as many chances to make a mistake, sort of) there is little wonder, they resist it because nobody likes to screw up a job and the less you have to watch, the less a screw-up will occur. However, with frequent (once a day) use of the T-Head this fear can be diminished - and a sense of pride in the craft can be developed. Admittedly, we have a truly outstanding pressman with a very high sense of quality, but with his extensive experience with the T-Head, he has more than once come to us and INSISTED on using the T-Head to assure a quality job of registration, ink coverage etc.

We foster this understanding of the T-Head as a quality control measure (as well as a time-saving profit contributor) by doing such things as duotones for our own mailings. As far as the profitability of running jobs with the T-Head, we solicited the help of our pressmen to time out where the time savings kicks in after the extra setup time involved (1,000 to 1,500 impressions, as mentioned above) so that we can show them on our estimating package why it s a good idea and how they contribute to their next raise by using the T-Head.

Hope this helps - before you have to hire a new pressman that WILL understand both the quality and profit potentials of a well-run T-Head.

From: Michae0912
We have a Ryobi 2800CD with T-head and a Ryobi 3302M True-2-color. A word of advice: Boot your printer in the rear and base future raises, bonuses, etc. on the quality production and regular use from that T-head. YOU invested the money in the T-head; either put it to work or get rid of it and get down the road.

Frankly, my printers don t tell me what they will and will not run. If your printer can t do it (run a T-head) then give him/her a deadline (goal) to have it running; otherwise, find a new printer.

T-heads can be your best friend or your worst enemy. They can produce quality 2-color work (we used - and still use our T-head 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, non-stop; as well as the 3302M) but you DO have to put a little work and elbow grease into it.

A purely mechanical pressman probably won t be to good with one; but a more artistic craftsman type pressman will work and baby and sweet-talk the T-head till it performs like a champ. And T-heads CAN perform like champs and make you money.

MIKE, PRINTING CENTER, Bartlesville, Oklahoma

From: EPierce291
If the press and T-Head or in good working order I would simply decide who is in charge .....me or the pressman. There is nothing like setting goals for individual departments or individuals and expecting people to live up to those goals. Two things will happen when you set goals: 1. Productivity will increase or: 2. you will be able to identify weak links or problem areas. Both of these are good if proper action is taken. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.

Ed Pierce , Mississippi

From: HPLACE
Tom, years ago, when I first joined my parents in the business, we had a T-51 head sitting on the cement floor covered with a tarp. The reason it wasn t sitting on its AB Dick 360 press is because every press operator we d ever had said it was an old, crummy piece of equipment that was out of alignment and probably should be disposed of. And besides, they argued, since run lengths were short (mostly under 2000 impressions back then), it was just as fast to run the sheets back through the press as to take the time to setup and use the T-head.

Then one day I hired a press operator who had worked for a trade thermography house that had T-heads installed on all their presses. He had learned to run his press with the T-head on. He couldn t understand why ours was on the cement in the corner. He mounted it and it hasn t been removed since (12 years ago). Probably 4 different operators have used it in that time. And until three years ago, that was our only 2-color press, which produced some outstanding work. Now I have an Itek 3985 twin tower and an AB Dick 9870 with swing-away T-head, and we still use the 360 and its stationary head for a lot of work.

I think the person who posed this question already gave the answer -- he needs a new press operator. Nancy, California

Thanks to all for your comments. Message your questions or comments to TomCrouser@aol.com.

End of Comments...Tom Crouser
Crouser & Associates Performance Group program includes two on-site evaluations by Tom Crouser each year along with two group meetings. Management training is held during the group meetings along with participation in a meeting with non-competing printers. Join others who have decided to run their business instead of the business running them. Reply to by Email to Tom Crouser for more detailed information or call Clark Workman at (304) 342-5100. Or fax (304) 342-5187 or contact crouser@ibm.net.
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