Analysis of product quality problems caused by the joint version
The joint version is a common technique in the printing industry, especially when it comes to increasing production efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The more colors and the wider the format, the higher the productivity and output value. However, from the perspective of equipment performance and process stability, too many versions can lead to issues such as misregistration, uneven ink coverage, paper wrinkling, and other quality problems.
For example, the "Taishan (AL)" cigarette small box printed by our company uses 90g/m² coated paper with a 5-color offset printing process and water-based varnish. Initially, the printing was done in a smaller format (9-spell), which allowed for smooth operation without any issues. However, after introducing a cold transfer process, we encountered challenges due to the instability of the domestic cold transfer equipment—particularly in terms of paper feeding, delivery, and registration accuracy. To address this, we switched to a smaller format, which improved the overall performance and yield of the cold transfer equipment.
Later, due to an increase in orders from the tobacco factory and tight deadlines, we had to switch to a larger 15-spell format to improve efficiency and meet delivery schedules. Unfortunately, the existing paper specifications were not compatible with the 9-spell format, leading to significant waste. As a result, we had to use the 15-spell format, but this caused new issues during the cold transfer process, including feeding difficulties, wrinkling, and poor registration, which greatly reduced the yield.
This experience highlights that many surface-level quality issues may seem like paper-related problems, but upon deeper analysis, they often stem from improper material selection or immature printing processes.
When such quality problems arise, the following measures can be taken:
(1) Improve the stiffness of the paper by knocking it to ensure flatness and stability during post-processing.
(2) Add a back coating process to reduce deformation caused by excessive web surface tension, such as warping and bending.
(3) Adjust the direction of the printing plate so that the paper feeding direction during the cold transfer process is perpendicular to the winding direction of the printed sheet. This helps prevent issues like wavy edges, tight transfer film adhesion, and wrinkling caused by minor paper deformation.
In addition, due to the high volume of cigarette packaging, we made process adjustments and upgraded from offset printing to gravure printing through a technical breakthrough. We also introduced a back coating process in the first color group to ensure better stability for the subsequent steps.
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