What are the electrical devices used in printing and their functions?

Answer 1

Printing press -- puts ink on paper Press control console -- adjusts press color balance and registration Wide-format or grand-format inkjet printers -- prints vinyl for vehicle wraps, scrim banner, mesh banner and large sheets of paper. Wide-format printers have carriages from 36" to 84" wide; grand-format are wider. Some of the widest grand-format printers are the Gandinnovations Jeti 5024 and the EFI VUTEk 5330, which take media 204 inches wide. (Fun facts about the big VUTEk: it's 28 feet wide. It weighs nearly three tons. It uses 50 amps of 220v power, which is the same as your kitchen range. The ink for it comes in gallon jugs, and you pour it into jars behind the printer. You need to file an environmental impact statement with the state when you buy a 5330 because the ink contains petroleum-based solvents--actually, YOU don't file the statement, EFI does it for you; they have lawyers who write these all the time. They give you a "roll lifter" when you buy the machine, and most people move the media around with a forklift. It takes four people to load media into the printer--two behind the machine to put the media in, the other two to catch it and pull it down. When you get it they send you a cabinet full of spare parts; if the machine breaks you call the 24/7 hotline (they supposedly have a person there on Christmas night, which may be tested soon because with my workflow I'll probably be printing on my VUTEk 3360 on Christmas night) and they tell you what part to replace. It comes with an engineer from the company who sets it up for you. It prints 2237 square feet per hour, and it probably costs about $700,000--based on the fact that a 3360 is $300,000 and the 3360 only uses 126" media.) Cutter -- cuts paper to programmed-in sizes Folder -- folds printed pieces as required by the job Collator and stitcher -- creates saddle-stitched booklets Perfect binder -- creates perfect-bound documents Pocket folder gluer -- converts diecut pocket folder blanks into finished folders Laminator -- encases printed pieces in a tough plastic shield Inspection booth -- produces light of the correct color and intensity to inspect work by Densitometer -- measures ink density to assure color accuracy Reach truck -- moves pallets of paper around the pressroom Platesetter -- makes plates in a "computer to plate" workflow Imagesetter -- makes film for plates in "computer to film" workflow Digital front end (also known as a RIP) -- controls platesetters and imagesetters Automatic imposition processor -- creates layouts on plates Light table -- used to hand-strip films Vacuum frame -- exposes plates and proofs Stat camera -- takes pictures of printed pieces so you can print more of them. This is a REALLY outdated piece of equipment, but in a lot of cases--such as when a letterhead someone's been using for 50 years comes in with the instruction "make the new ones EXACTLY like this" it's quicker to shoot the letterhead, strip it and plate it than it is to use your computer. Film processor -- develops film Plate processor -- develops plates Computer -- does too many things to mention Drum scanner -- produces better images than any of those "just as good as a drum scanner" flatbeds ever dreamed of. Air compressor -- source of compressed air for many printing machines Vacuum pump -- source of vacuum for many printing machines (note: all 40-inch and larger presses and many smaller presses use both compressed air and vacuum; really small presses usually only use vacuum) Diecutter -- cuts printing into special shapes like circles, credit cards, suitcases... Coffeepot -- keeps pressman awake when he has to work a double shift to get a job out before the last Friday of the month Those are just a few of the electrical devices used in printing.