How many press ops know how to print

[tonypep]

Most of our manual printers have moved up or on which has been fine as we did not have the need for them for quite a while. So I have been thinking; while manually printing some flags on sleeves, about how many printers really know how to print. The Hopkins press I chose to print on was so Jerry rigged with shims, bungee cords, duct tape etc that it was embarrassing to even look at. Moreover micros were seized up, springs missing. Kips broken. Heads that simply don't work. Press and platens completely out of plane and level. (Keep in mind we have a full time Maintenance staff but that's another story). Sure they made things work by compensation (hammer!) But they really didn't how things work. Sad to see it in my own facility but that was when it was under a different manager who was a past employee in my ten year absence. However; I see it everywhere to some degree or another. And its not limited to manuals or even production in general. Its often present in pre-press as well. All due to lack of/improper training of course and is fixable. However many choose to keep on dredging on and making things work. Most know I'm not necessarily in favor of putting everything under a microscope but there should be some balance.
I was fortunate enough to be trained on the Hopkins by Riley Hopkins. He showed me a lot of things on that press that many do not know even today. There was no operating manual for a Hopkins so most just tried to figure things out on their own. Some do. Others......not so much. And then the bad habits begin to be handed down from one employee to the next. Got to go now because I am going to literally disassemble the press piece be piece and rebuild it. Won't be the first time.
Interested in others opinions as always

[mimosatexas]

I don't understand how anyone with even a mildly technical mind wouldn't be able to fully assemble and understand any manual press.  They are really pretty simple machines, and what makes them worth the money is not their complexity, but their build quality and durability which allow them to hold registration and work well over a long period of time.  I built a 4 color press with micros out of wood and basic lowe's hardware after having looked at a few images on google and printing for less than 3 months.  It wasn't a "good" press, but it worked and wasn't difficult to engineer/build.  I guess some people just don't have that kind of mind, but it has always seemed pretty ingrained in me and a lot of people I know.  Human's are by nature analytical problem solvers.

[Get Shirts]

All of our press ops are first trained on the manual.  There is nothing that could replace the physical understanding of the process you gain by manually printing.

[Sbrem]

Oddly enough, we hated those presses, they seemed to be an overthought PIA. It does hold 23 x 31's pretty well though. All of our folks can "see how it works" print wise, I've always thought it was pretty obvious, but yeah, some people don't want to think, just jam it through. To be fair, before I started printing, I had very little mechanical experience, but picked it up quickly once it was part of the job. I was a guitar teacher before that and mechanical knowledge didn't play a big part. I would rather print than teach guitar any day...

Steve

[tonypep]

The first press I used was one I made at a machine shop. Didn't know about tack so I made custom clamps to hold down the shirts! BTW the manual training before auto is always a good idea.
Everyone have a great weekend