Troubleshoot colour drift on digital press 1

You are a digital press operator.

Simulated workplaceIntermediate missionCAQA PrintWorks Media

What is going on

Digital press 1 is producing cookbook sample pages that are visibly warmer than the approved proof, with magenta running high. The press has just had a black toner change, the room temperature has risen with the afternoon sun and the last linearisation recorded in the Machine Maintenance Log was three weeks ago. A 3,000 copy cookbook reprint is due to start on the press tomorrow and Tom Ngata needs the fault understood and either fixed or escalated today. The colour management procedure, the press manual and the retained proof are available.

Tom Ngata, Press Room Supervisor
Subject: Digital press 1 colour drifting on the cookbook samples

Liam has flagged that digital press 1 is running warm on the magenta side and the cookbook sample pages do not match the approved proof. I need you to troubleshoot it before the reprint starts. Follow the colour management steps, check consumables, recalibrate if needed and log what you did in the Machine Maintenance Log. If it needs a service call, tag it and let me know today.

Your brief

Work through a structured troubleshooting process to find the cause of the colour drift, correct it by calibration or consumable change if possible, verify the result against the target chart and proof, and record every step in the maintenance log and on the ticket.

Work through it

You do not need to do it all. Doing a few of these will show you what the work is like. Your ticks and notes stay on this device.

Read the Quality Policy colour control requirements and the Machine Maintenance Log history for digital press 1 to see what has changed recently.
Print the ISO 12647 based target chart, measure it with the spectrophotometer and record the readings against tolerance to confirm the drift.
Check the consumables in the Paper and Consumables Stock system and the press, including toner age, drum life and fuser condition, and rule each in or out as a cause.
Check environmental conditions and stock conditioning, record the room temperature and humidity, and note whether they are within the press specification.
Run the calibration and linearisation routine, reprint the target chart and record the before and after readings to show the correction.
Print a cookbook sample page and compare it with the approved proof, recording the result on the job ticket for the reprint.
Enter a complete Machine Maintenance Log record describing the fault, the cause found, the action taken and whether a service call is required, and report to Tom Ngata.

My notes: what did I enjoy, and what surprised me?

What someone in this role would produce

Troubleshooting record with causes ruled in and out
Before and after colour measurements
Machine Maintenance Log entry
Job ticket note on the sample comparison

Printing this is a record of what you explored. It is not a certificate or a qualification.