Total impressions, what exactly is that?

[Dottonedan]

Sounds arbitrary for everyone really.  No wrong or right.

For me, I would be in the camp of Squeegee strokes. A double stroke is two impressions. Any transfer of ink (in my opinion).  Probably same for total impression count on the life of a machine. It would count roller strokes as well.

On the I-Image machine, it counts every exposure, and every print even if it’s just a nozzle Check.

how can i find the number of prints on our i-Image ST ?

The lcd screen under the key board.  Scroll into the next windows using right arrow.  One of those next screens tells you how many prints are on it.  You can get a pretty good estimate of ink consumption also. (Based on comparing total Ltr's purchased over the span of install). - any noz checks.

[Dottonedan]

I found this article on this subject (in another area of the printing business).  Interesting ending.


https://www.inplantimpressions.com/post/a-printing-press-impression-any-other-name-ray-chambers/all/




Google Impress and see definition #2.
This is what I would go by. Seems to make the most sense IMO.  It would indicate that an impression is based on (the color count and includes double hits).  Especially if you are basing impressions cost"on production time.


GROUP A,
A single hit of 1 color,  1 (location) x 350 units, for some are indicating this is 350 impressions.


GROUP B,
A double hit each of 1 color, (1 location) x 350 units is 1050 impressions.





In another example,


GROUP A
3 color front
6 color back
1 color hip
= 3 impressions.
150 shirts x 3 = 450 impressions.


GROUP B

3 color front (Double hit on the base)
6 color back (Double hit on the base)
1 color hip.  (Double hit on the base)
= 13 impressions.
150 shirts x 13 = 1950 impressions.




That's a huge difference on production time and total impressions per year.
It all depends on how you look at it ...and what info you want to get from it I guess.

[RICK STEFANICK]

Dan, Now your talking squeegie strokes . Thats not impressions. A impressssion is a finished logo.

[Dottonedan]

Dan, Now your talking squeegie strokes . Thats not impressions. A impressssion is a finished logo.

The way I see it myself, is that a transfer of color, (a stroke) is an impression.  I don't see it that way for counting production time with (roller strokes), but as far was the machine usage counting goes, I would think that roller strokes count as an impression also.   Correct me if I'm wrong (since I don't know), but I would guess that press manufactures set the machines up to count Usage for wear and tear/age by counting every use".  Not every different finished shirt you print.  So this leads me to think there is a theoretical "Shop Impression count" that we look at for production, and there is a "press manufacturing Impression count" for total usage.
I lean towards this camp of total impressions it takes to form the final product as an impression.
Seems to be two different things.


Similar to and more likely the word Impressions is derived from the term "Impressionism" or somewhere there abouts.
What makes an Impressionistic painting is not the painting (garment) itself, but the application of hundreds and thousands of tiny brush stokes make up the final painting (product). A stretch, but it's there.

What is it to impress something? based simply off of the definition of Impress, I find this.

im·press1

verb

/imˈpres/

1. make (someone) feel admiration and respect.
"they immediately impressed the judges"


2. make a mark or design on (an object) using a stamp or seal; imprint.

"she impressed the damp clay with her seal"


noun

/ˈimˌpres/

an act of making an impression or mark.

"bluish marks made by the impress of his fingers"

What I don't see is anything to indicate that the total of these impress(ions) make the impression. (to make a final or total image).


I also feel that what you or any one shop does (in their shop) is the way it should be done based on your own needs. Doesn't make me righter wrong. Just another way of looking at it.

[Frog]

Late to the party here, but I think, in general graphic arts terms (not taking into consideration any of the press manufacturer's basis for this) I'd go for this simple definition:
Number of times a page or publication passes through the printing process to receive the complete image. In monochrome (single color) printing, only one impression is necessary whereas in multi-color printing two or more impressions are needed.

[tonypep]

It may be obvious however a double stroke does not affect the index just the print head/s

[RICK STEFANICK]

I know here we look at every completed print in each location a impression. It doesn't matter if its a1 color double stroke or a 16 color with 4 flashes. A finished print is a impression. I know that is how the major magazines calculated them also when they did the top 100. they did impressions and another category for finished garments. The garment mfg. use indexes and may not even tally the print start mode.

[Dottonedan]

It may be obvious however a double stroke does not affect the index just the print head/s

Agreed,  but if one is looking for production time invested as it pertains to impressions, a double stroke is a bit longer than a single.   If you double stroke 4 of 10 colors, that's going to take longer than 10 single strokes.


I dunno. Makes to real difference in the end I guess. You still spent X time on production in a year. Can't change that by changing a tile of a category description.

[RICK STEFANICK]

It may be obvious however a double stroke does not affect the index just the print head/s

Agreed,  but if one is looking for production time invested as it pertains to impressions, a double stroke is a bit longer than a single.   If you double stroke 4 of 10 colors, that's going to take longer than 10 single strokes.


I dunno. Makes to real difference in the end I guess. You still spent X time on production in a year. Can't change that by changing a tile of a category description.

Even that is relative. If we are running poly white thru a 200 the stroke is slower than running killer base on double. I think the real numbers and our  up and down times. with tri loc our flips are much faster and its all in the back end when calulating run times by number of colors. I think we took a year of numbers and that's the average in the system for print speeds. Everyone is different . We do an average of 50 set ups a day between the shifts SO WE FOCUS ON THE SETUP/ TEAR DOWN SYSTEMS AND TIMES.

[Dottonedan]

"SO WE FOCUS ON THE SETUP/ TEAR DOWN SYSTEMS AND TIMES."

Seems like a great place to be focusing on.   Good post.

Take care.