Printing Blankets — Got Ya Covered

Blanket Study

The Offset Blankets, Print Quality and Sheetfed Movement study examined 12 blankets, all used in print runs under the same conditions at GATF. Press, paper, ink, fountain chemistry, speed, plate and temperature were identical. In the first print run, GATF's press operators carefully used a torque wrench. Although suppliers recommend a variety of torque settings, all blankets were tensioned to 38-foot pounds—an acceptable middle ground torque.