Hickeys and specks in the print
A hickey is a speck of dust or dried ink printing as a spot, often with a ring around it. If it repeats at the cylinder circumference, it is on the plate or the blanket.
Checks
- Measure the repeat. A speck that comes back every sheet at the same spot is on the cylinder. A random speck is in the ink or on the sheet.
- Wash the blanket and inspect the plate. Dried ink and paper dust are the usual pieces.
- Skin the ink and keep the fountain covered. A skin fragment becomes a hickey.
- If the specks are fibers from the stock, the sheet is the source. Look at the edges of the pile.
Materials in the directory
Compare offset inks, uncoated paper, coated paper.