Grippers/Sheet travel problems: causes and fixes

8 Grippers/Sheet travel problems in offset printing and finishing: symptoms, probable causes, step-by-step fixes and prevention.

Grippers/Sheet travel · TPG-204

Gripper pressure calibration (procedure)

Unstable registration with no apparent cause; sheets moving in transfer

High severity

Grippers/Sheet travel · TPG-205

Uneven gripper pressure across the bar

Sheet enters straight but leaves rotated; registration fanning to one side

High severity

Grippers/Sheet travel · TPG-206

Sheet released at high speed

Sudden waste, sheet crashed inside the press, possible blanket damage

High severity

Grippers/Sheet travel · TPG-207

Gripper-to-gripper transfer out of time

Fine doubling, variable circumferential registration, marks at the gripper edge

High severity

Grippers/Sheet travel · TPG-210

Grippers broken or bent by a jam

After a jam: impossible registration, new marks, transfer noise

High severity

Grippers/Sheet travel · TPG-208

Gripper-edge damage to the sheet

Torn, dented or marked lead edge; problems cutting and finishing later

Medium severity

Grippers/Sheet travel · TPG-209

Gripper marks on board or delicate stock

Shiny or dented pad prints on the finished piece's edge

Medium severity

Grippers/Sheet travel · TPG-211

Fan-out at the sheet tail

Perfect registration at the grippers but open toward the tail, especially on large formats

Medium severity

Other categories

Binding (hotmelt/PUR) (8)Blankets (7)Die-cutting/Cracking (12)Feeder/Delivery (9)Folder-gluer (18)Folding (12)Fountain solution (10)Gathering/Stitching/Gluing (10)Guillotine/Cutting (6)High rulings/Stochastic (12)Hot foil (7)Ink (material) (12)Inking calibration (6)Lamination (5)Metallized (9)Offset – Ink/Water (14)Offset – Mechanical/Paper (12)Paper/Board (10)Plates (CTP) (7)Polyboard/Corona (14)Prepress (10)Pressroom climate (5)Rollers (7)Stripping (8)Substrates GC/Bond/Coated (11)Three-knife trimmer (8)UV coating (7)Water-based coating (8)Wire/Spiral binding (7)