Creating and Using Difficulty Tables in Printer's Plan

Overview

Difficulty Tables in Printer's Plan are advanced configuration tools that allow print shops to fine-tune the cost, time, and waste calculations associated with printing tasks. These tables support a high degree of accuracy by enabling conditional adjustments based on paper types, job characteristics, and run lengths.

Info: Difficulty Tables improve cost, time, and waste accuracy for specific printers and jobs.

This article will guide you through how Difficulty Tables work, what kinds of adjustments they control, and how to configure them effectively. You'll learn how to modify printer setup time, speed, waste factors, and run behavior depending on material or job complexity.

How It Works

Difficulty in Printer's Plan is informed by the Paper Specs window where the Job's Parent size sheet, Run-size sheet, and finish-size sheet and job difficulties are selected. The image below has these areas highlighted in the Paper Specs Window.

Difficulty Tables are configured per printer (offset or digital) and consist of three distinct sections:

Paper Difficulty Table: Adjusts setup time, speed, and waste based on assigned Paper Waste Table rows.
Job Difficulty Table: Modifies values based on job specs such as size, coverage, registration, bleeds, or second-side printing.
Speed Adjustment Table: Increases printer speed for larger quantities using interpolation across break points.

Paper Difficulty Table

This table lets you fine-tune how a specific press or printer behaves with different paper types.

Info: The Paper Difficulty Table links directly to each Paper’s assigned Waste Table Row.

Setup Time per Plate: Add time (in minutes) per plate for difficult papers.
Printer Speed: Reduce speed by percentage (e.g., -10% for thicker stock).
Setup Waste: Increase sheets needed for setup.
Run Waste: Add to existing Waste Table percentages.

Tip: Use Paper Difficulty to distinguish between cover and text stocks or coated/uncoated varieties.

Job Difficulty Table

This section lets you adjust printing behavior based on the characteristics of a job, independent of the paper type. It includes adjustments for:

Run Size: Entered in square inches. Affects speed, setup time, and waste.
Ink Coverage: Heavy coverage may slow down the press or require more waste sheets.
Registration: Tighter registration requires more precision and may introduce waste.
Bleed: Jobs with bleeds may need extra paper or slower speeds and can be adjusted per side.
Second-Side Printing: Increases setup time and waste for duplex jobs.

Warning: If minimum or maximum run sizes are violated, jobs may be incorrectly assigned. Enable warnings or errors as needed.

Speed Adjustment Table

Used with Press B configurations (those that use paper properties), this table enables automatic press speed adjustments based on the number of impressions per pass.

You can define breakpoints (e.g., 1,000, 5,000, 10,000 impressions) and assign a percentage increase in speed. Printer's Plan interpolates between breakpoints for smooth, scalable speed control.

Edit Costs: Quantity Detail Window

You can preview the current calculation on an order by clicking "Edit Costs".

Highlight the paper service and click the button labeled "Quantity Detail" at the bottom of the window.

Here the waste values will be added up and displayed in detail. Confirm these calculations are correct. Make adjustments where necessary.

Tip: The Quantity Detail window provides a reliable way to audit cumulative waste contributions from multiple sources.

Key Points

Paper Difficulty Tables are activated via Waste Table Row links on Paper Services.
Presses and Printers must be configured correctly (Press A vs. Press B) to respect Difficulty Tables.
Use the Paper Difficulty Table to differentiate behavior between similar devices or fine-tune for specific stocks.
Use the Job Difficulty Table to accommodate real-world conditions like bleed and tight registration.
Speed Adjustment Tables allow faster speeds for higher volume jobs—ideal for long-run offset work.

Demonstration

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