Web Offset Champion Group Collects Best-Practices Guides In One Volume

By: E&P Staff The Paris-based Web Offset Champion Group has made its 242-page 'Tool Box,' containing its seven best-practice guides, available to web printers in English and German. Individually, the guides are published in seven languages.

Guides cover both heatset and coldset because of the increasing technology and business convergence between these disciplines.

This first 'Tool Box' compendium brings together best-practice guides for: roll-to-web processing; web-break prevention and diagnosis; avoiding surprises when changing paper grades; running presses longer, leaner and faster; getting color approved faster; environmental considerations (energy, economy, efficiency, and ecology); total process color control and alternative screening technologies.

Each chapter focuses on a theme that can be read in an hour or two to provide a complete subject overview. A special introduction gives an overview of the business context of best practice - economic benefits, business strategy, how to systematically apply best practices, waste prevention, key success factors and measurement.

The Web Offset Champion Group 'Tool Box' can be used to: help managers optimize production strategy, define key success factors, and identify priorities; assist production managers in troubleshooting and identifying improvement projects; give process-improvement team members a common understanding of a subject; discuss expectations, roles and procedures with customers, sales and production staff; provide a reference for experienced production staff, and assist printers new to web offset; and offer a refresher on best practices fundamental to productivity and quality.

Unavailable as a single publication in multiple languages until later this year, the new WOCG best practice guide 7 looks at digital workflows, drawing on the experiences of 35 users of alternative screening technologies. For all their efficiency and quality benefits, digital workflows have multiple potential sources of color and quality deviations. This guide focuses on optimizing the conventional AM digital workflow process -a prerequisite as well for successful use of alternative screening, such as FM, Hybrid FM/AM and high-lpi AM screenings.

U.S. and Canadian printers can order the WOCG 'Tool Box' compendium either by credit card in U.S. dollars (100 euro equivalent) by visiting the PIA/GATF online store at the Graphic Arts Information Network Web site, http://tinyurl.com/3d3xjo, or by inquiring at the nearest office of a WOCG member (including Kodak, manroland, Megtec, Muller Martini, QuadTech and Sun Chemical).

The 10-year-old, non-profit Web Offset Champion Group is a joint project of international suppliers working with other industry specialists, printers and associations, including Ifra, to publish best practice guides. The Graphic Arts Technical Foundation is a principal content contributor and exclusive North American distributor.

The group's objective is to improve web offset productivity using a cross-industry, cross-process approach because no single company can provide answers to all the variables of the press line and its consumables. Best practices are a tool to improve overall performance without making capital investment. Guides identify ways to lower costs, raise quality and reduce accidents. Each is reviewed by a worldwide panel of specialists, printers, suppliers and associations to improve content and ensure that it represents industry best practice.