Quality control is a critical aspect of any printing process, including offset carbonless printing. It ensures that the final printed product meets the desired quality standards and specifications.
In offset carbonless printing, quality control is especially important because it involves the printing of multi-part forms where the alignment and transfer of the ink to the different sheets must be precise to produce a readable and accurate copy. In this article, we will discuss the importance of this in offset carbonless printing and some of the methods used to achieve it.
Below are the 9 steps we have in place to ensure your NCR printing is done to our high levels!
1. Consistency: Ensuring that each printed form is consistent in terms of colour, registration, and image quality. This is important when you’re printing high-volume and high quality NCR.
2. Accuracy: This ensures that each copy of the carbon paper is accurate and legible, with no missing or duplicated information. We all want exceptional quality when we order any printed item, lithography gives this time and time again.
3. Efficiency: This helps to prevent rework, reduce waste, and improve productivity by catching errors early in the process. Litho printing not only produces some of the best quality four-colour printing but on larger print runs it moves faster than digital printing presses.
4. Customer satisfaction: Quality checking and control helps to ensure that the final product meets the customer’s expectations and requirements, leading to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. This should be standard with any commercial printing.
5. Pre-press Inspection: Pre-press inspection involves a thorough review of the artwork, proofing, and plate-making stages to ensure that the final printing plates are accurate and consistent with the customer’s requirements. This includes checking for colour accuracy, image resolution, and proper registration.
This includes the design team checking the digital files for RGB files – if they exist we use InDesign and if they exist they are converted to CMYK. Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black (four process colours of ink) this is standard for all full colour printing services and our NCR business forms. If we are using spot colours or Pantone colours we check the ink colours to ensure everything is print ready. Before putting any ink on a sheet of paper, check twice and print once!
With offset printing, we actually use large rolls of heavy paper – think giant loo roll! These take a while to be loaded onto the printing press.
6. In-line Inspection: In-line inspection involves monitoring the printing process in real-time to detect any issues that may affect the quality of the final product. This includes checking for colour consistency, streaks or spots, ink density, and registration accuracy on the printing surface of the carbonless paper.
7. Post-press Inspection: Post-press inspection involves a final review of the printed forms to ensure that they meet the desired quality standards. This includes checking for alignment, image quality, and legibility. After they have been through this part of the print production process they move off to other departments for additional work such as variable data or sequential numbering.
8. Statistical Process Control (SPC): SPC involves collecting data during the printing process and using statistical analysis to monitor the process’s performance. This helps to identify trends and patterns in the printing process that may affect quality, allowing for corrective action to be taken before quality issues arise.
9. Training and Education: Training and education of employees on quality control procedures, including proper handling and maintenance of equipment, can help to reduce errors and improve quality.
Just to cover briefly what NCR is in case you ended up here by chance!
Custom NCR sheets are a popular business product. Where you write on the uncoated top sheet and the writing transfers from one sheet to another. It is a special type of paper that is used commonly for invoices and receipts. Usually, they are usually printed with a company logo not just on the first sheet but on all copies. They can come with many options for personalisation so each order can also vary from the next. That’s why we love them!
In conclusion, quality control is an essential aspect of offset carbonless printing or print jobs that ensure the final product meets the desired quality standards and specifications as well as making sure it is an efficient method. Pre-press, in-line, and post-press inspection, statistical process control, and employee training and education are some of the methods used to achieve quality control in offset carbonless printing. By implementing these methods, businesses can reduce errors, improve productivity, and increase customer satisfaction.
That is the same for all printers whether you are using digital presses (short runs) or digital technology to reproduce full-colour personalised printed NCR or offset printing for printing many. There are a load of printing options available to you the customer and us as your chosen NCR print company.
That’s exactly what we do here at NCR Invoice Pads, so no matter what your ordering – NCR Books, NCR Pads or NCR Sets you will only ever receive a great quality product. Simply place your order and upload your artwork and the team at NCR Invoice Pads will be more than happy to help! If you need help with your artwork read our Design Guide or we can help design your perfect NCR for you.
