The Web Offset Champion Group (WOCG) has now released the third of its free downloadable posters to compliment their best practice guides. “Paper and roll defect classifications” displays common defects into five groups: Sheet, winding, slitter & mill join, non-uniform rolls, and wrapping-transit-handling defects and damage.

??The poster is designed to provide a common communication terminology to avoid possible confusion. Its classifications have been developed by WOCG from those of TAPPI and IFRA and are a useful diagnostic tool,? says Technical Manager, Marcus Edbom, who is also a WOCG founder.

?When faults occur, it is essential to make the right information available to more rapidly define a problem, its cause and to prevent its repetition. The paper supplier should be informed as soon as possible with a description of fault (see poster), a photograph of the problem is very useful; and the roll number(s) is a must to be able to support the printer as quick as possible. For web breaks, add the press running status, where in the reel it occurred (near the core, middle or the diameter of the reel when the break occurred) to identify any related patterns. Send samples to the mills for further investigation, this will help the mills to improve their quality long term?

The downloadable poster format has been developed from WOCG Best Practice Guides to provide at-a-glance reference to key practices. The PDF format allows for them to be printed on either digital proofing systems or by other digital presses in a format that can range up to A1 size.

Posters and Guides are available in English, German, French, Spanish and Italian editions.

Other downloadable posters and guides

Additional information is available in Best Practice Guide N° 2 “Web break Diagnosis” with 5 pages dedicated to roll defects, while Guide N° 1 “Roll to Web Processing” provides practical recommendations to minimise damage from roll handling and storage. The 36-page guides are available, either as a screen-consultable format with 2-pages to view, or as a downloadable printing file, and are accompanied by two posters of the same title.

Access to these downloads is free of charge to members of the Champion Club. Membership is available to anyone working in the web offset printing industry, it is free-of-charge and simply requires registration at http://www.weboffsetchampions.com. Member benefits also include a 10% discount on publications

New finishing best practice guide

“Perfectly Finished Web Printed Products” is the most recent Best Practice Guide. Correct finishing is not only essential to communicate the quality of a printed product, but it can also have a significant impact on profitability because defect costs are at their highest in an almost finished job. The purpose of WOCG‘s new guide is to improve results through better communication and understanding amongst all participants in the workflow — designers, print users, publishers, printers and binders, and their suppliers.

The Web Offset Champion Group was formed in 1998 to ?champion? best practice in the web offset printing industry as a tool to improve productivity, quality and safety. Its members: Aylesford Newsprint, Kodak, manroland, MEGTEC, Müller Martini, Quad Tech, SCA and Sun Chemical, and associates include Eurografica, Eltex, Printing Industries of America, System Brunner, Timsons, Welsh Centre for Printing and Coating, Swansea University.

Best practice publications include the ?Tool Box”, a 242-page compendium of seven best practice guides in English and German. The guides are also available individually in five languages. They are available from www.weboffsetchampions.com and order from ?The Champion Shop‘ online for only €30 – all users worldwide except USA/Canada

Note to editors

You may like to reproduce a WOCG best practice poster as a service to your readers, for example a as a centre spread in your printed editions. We are happy to authorise this use provided the posters are not altered, with the exception that the publication can add its own masthead and contact details in the open box in the bottom right hand corner.

A secure media partner website has been set up to enable you to download Poster 3 in GB, DE, ES, FR, IT as images for publication. This will be open from 1st to 21st February, 2012. http://weboffsetchampions.com/press/press.html Username: press. Password: wocg_press