Strike-Off Specifications Sheet Purpose: Help attain consistency in repeating orders.
File Name: STRIKOFF
Format: Single Page, 1 Part
When a customer likes the way you printed a job, he is likely
to re-order the job from you. But that happiness will be short-lived if the second time
you print a job does not look just like the first. To make sure that the second, third and
all subsequent runs of a job look just like the first, you'll need to duplicate all the
conditions of the original run. Especially if half-tones, process color or any other
special techniques are involved, you'll have to duplicate all the conditions of the
original job exactly, right down to the flood speed and squeegee
durometer. If a re-order does not look just like the first order, you haven't done your
job to satisfy the customer. The Strike-Off sheet is used to record all relevant data for
re-creating screen printed jobs.
Each time a new job is undertaken, a strike-off sheet is
created for the new job. On the header of this sheet, the date and press used are entered,
along with the customer's name, job / order number, and the screen design's name or
number. For each screen in the design, a row in the midsection of the form is filled. Once
a satisfactory print has been produced and approved, the operator denotes all
information about each screen used to create the design. In the "Ink" section,
the operator notes the brand, stock number, and any formula number associated with the
modification of the ink for this design.
In the "Screen" section of this form, the operator
notes information as to the brand of mesh, mesh size, weave (Plain or twill), and thread
diameter, as well as the average tension of the screen and stencil thickness used. There
is an area to note the measurement of off-contact and flood speed that the press was set
to use as well. In the "Squeegee" section, the operator will want to include
information as to the print speed and pressure of the squeegee, as well as the durometer
of squeegee used, as failure to repeat any of these specifications will make many two
different instances of a print job appear different from one another.
Finally, spaces are provided to record the number of print
strokes used on each color, as well as any flash time and temperature. For presses
that use flood bars, the type can be specified, and for tracking curing, it is important
to record the dryer temperature / time utilized for this design.
When finished with a job, the strike-off sheet should be
filed along with a strike-off sample of the design to aid the press operator in
duplicating this job in the future.
Manual Presses: While manual presses can be
more versatile than automatic presses, they cannot be as consistent. However, a diminished
consistency does not mean that consistency cannot be improved by using strike-off sheets.
Some portions of this sheet will not have relevance for a manual press operator, but most
still are, and can greatly help keep jobs consistent and customers happy.
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