Image shift problem on KM Bizhubpro C5501.

[lantz_xvx]

Hey all,

We've got a Konica Minolta Bizhubpro C5501, and we're having a hell of a time printing double-sided postcards.

Our technician advised against running anything heavier than 100#C through the machine, which is fine because that's our house weight for postcards and business cards. But it won't print duplex on 100#C, we need to print one side, then flip and print the other side.

On pretty much every job, the front-to-back registration is off. We've used the "Image Shift" option to try to balance it out, but this takes a long time of printing one sheet, viewing by light and measuring, and fiddling with it until it works. This burns a lot of time, toner, and clicks.

What could be the problem? The files should be set up properly. We do all of our pre-press in Adobe InDesign CS5, and when setting up our print-ready files, everything is lined up and centered on a 13 x 19 layout, to be printed on 13 x 19 paper.

We can't afford to spend that much on makeready for what should be simple digital jobs, and the time screwing around with it could be better used for other things. Any insight?

Thanks!

- Lantz

 

[xfactor printing]

When you have it perfect using image shift for one job to line up the front and back, you can't enter the same shift values for the next job?
How far is it off?
Same stock and how many other jobs running between?
Can you run the first job again with the same image shift values and have it close?
I give myself 1/8" bleeds and keep all non bleed elements 3/16" in if I can so any slight imperfection doesn't show.

 

[lantz_xvx]

It's never really been consistent. Regretfully, I don't think we've ever written down the numbers, but I also don't know that it's ever been perfect. Some sheets will always just be misregistered. This is probably because when we run the first side, and everything looks where we should be, we just run it. It isn't until printing the reverse side that we start chasing our tail. I wonder if there's some sort of play when the sheet goes through, causing the registration to be erratic.

It always happens on the same stock, 100#C. It doesn't happen on text stock because we're able to print that duplex. We've never tried running the same job twice with the same values. In general, I'm confused about how that image shift works. If you can explain it, that would be helpful. My experience comes from running offset presses, where everything is considered to be on the operator side or non-operator side, towards the operate or away, etc. The X and Y values in that little diagram are difficult for me to wrap my head around. Also, there are two columns that say "front" and "back." We always adjust the "front" but is it possible that that's wrong?