CLOSED-LOOP COLOR CONTROL — SMALL CHALLENGES, BIG REWARDS

Foell, like others, notes that press chemistry must be held to tighter tolerances to optimize CLC. During one run, a new batch of solution was not producing favorable results; a subsequent lab workup revealed that a slight change in the solution created instability.

“Initially we thought we had calcium buildup in the ink train from calcium-based papers that created stripping,” Foell says. “It’s an old problem these days—calcium builds up in the ink rollers, which attracts water first, then the ink rides poorly on top of the water.