[part 3]
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Chapter 18
Printing
Note: Volunteers at branches not involved with printing are not required to read this chapter.
1. Everything printed by branches must either originate at Brooklyn or be approved by the Publishing Committee. (Approval to translate literature and magazine; is given by the Writing Committee.) The many forms and letters printed at the United States Branch are used because it saves time instead of typing the same information over and over again. Many of these forms and letters will never be needed in quantity at small branches. When a congregation writes in, you can answer their question. and it may be that that question will be asked only once a year. You have sample copies of forms and you may use the information as it applies to your country when you reply. So there is no need for small branches to have as many printed forms and letters as larger ones.
2. Please keep in mind the cost involved in printing forms and mailing them. First, they must be translated, typeset, and composed, and this takes time. Then they are printed, which also takes time. It takes paper. which is expensive. So, if we print a lot of forms and you simply stock them on your shelves in the branches and rarely use them, this is not a wise use of Society funds. The principles regarding the ordering of forms are similar to those followed when a branch office orders literature or miscellaneous merchandise. If you have no great use for certain forms, there is no need to stock them.
3. If your branch print forms. you should be conservative as to quantity. Generally it is good not to print more than a year's supply, as forms may be altered from time to time.
4 FACTORY OPERATION: Things need to keep moving through the printing division of the factory. Items should not bog down and be held until the last minute, but should be promptly handled so that the flow of work moves smoothly. As we go about the work an eye should be kept on quality first, then the quantity.
5. Throughout the entire factory operation appropriate ones responsible should be appointed to ensure (1) planning and scheduling; (2) requisitioning necessary materials and supplies; (3) making out and distributing job orders; (4) following jobs through to completion; (5) keeping necessary records, files, and samples and (6) working closely with the volunteers to know their abilities and to understand their problems.
6. Schedules need to be planned to keep the work in the factory in its proper order. Appropriate ones should be appointed to handle this scheduling work. In scheduling the work, prepare a copy of a written schedule for all the departments concerned, showing when the various operations on a particular book, magazine, Our Kingdom Ministry, and so forth, are due to begin in that department. With non-simultaneous magazines, the schedules for each issue are prepared by working backward, from the day the magazines should go to the post office to allow sufficient time for them to reach the subscribers and congregations. Allow sufficient time for all I operations in the factory, such as wrapping, trimming, stitching, folding, printing, typesetting. proofreading, and set the date copy must be in the hands of the proofreaders. The amount of time to allow for these operations can be established from the previous six months' average of the time required for each operation. As needed, brothers should be assigned the responsibility to see that these schedules are adhered to by all so that the work can be done in good order and the publications reach the people at the right time. Those publishing magazines and Our Kingdom Ministry simultaneously should make workable schedules that take into consideration mailing times from Brooklyn and local shipping needs.
7. In order to have an efficient flow of work the necessary materials and supplies must be on hand. A good way to check on all items of stock such as paper, ink, and so forth, field service forms and literature, is to have a monthly inventory taken and posted as a progressive inventory. This inventory would show stock on hand plus that received and minus supplies used; then at the end of the month you will have a new balance on hand. This will assist in ordering because it will show the rate of movement and will prevent running out of stock of forms, literature, and necessary supplies or materials. Inventories should be very carefully checked in ordering stock so as not to get overstocked. Requisitions for supplies required to print books, booklets. magazines, and forms, such as paper, ink, glue, paste, cloth, and so forth, should be made out by those designated in sufficient time to keep all machines busy and the items in stock. When reprinting forms always consult your "forms file" for latest changes in the form, if any.
8. The printing operation is detailed and therefore written instructions are essential for accuracy. Printing requisitions (except magazines and forms) are approved by the Publishing Committee. A job number is assigned from a consecutive list of numbers, and a major file envelope (F-108) is made out. The filed press order (F-104) from the previous printing should always be used as a guide to write up a reprinted item. Any problems experienced in the previous printing should have been marked on the press order. Essential information such as paper size and weight, ink colors, and trim size will be shown. On first printings the information must be worked out I by the one assigned who should consult former similar jobs. Waste of time and material can be avoided if care is taken to get the most forms out of a given sheet with the least number of impressions on the press. The department job orders (F-104) should be proofread after typing, and routed to each department handling the item. Text copy or artwork is first sent to proofreading before being processed for production. All questions should be answered before work is started on any printing item.
9. The brother designated must follow a job through to completion. He must be thorough and check regularly on the work under his supervision, and so should the branch committee coordinator. Regular tours, at least twice daily, should be made by a responsible brother through the factory or publishing section of the branch. Brothers should be designated as responsible for coordinating all activities between translators, proofreaders, factory, and shipping. All jobs should be followed through, making certain that things are done on time and correctly. Checks must be made with Invoicing and Shipping to see that forms and literature are kept in stock, that orders are not unnecessarily held up, and that all items and materials are on hand to fill orders quickly. This gives our brothers in the field good service. Responsible brothers must always be alert to look for things that may be wrong or that need attention or correction. Try to improve methods of handling the work so that it can be done well in the most convenient, efficient, and least expensive manner. Everyone in the factory operation should be educated to be concerned with quality control and waste reduction.
10. Records are kept by a central factory office to supply vital information to other departments. A file of job press printings should be kept up to date with one copy of the latest printing of each item. Pertinent information should be written on the forms ,such as job number, quantity. date of printing, and the storage location of the printing flats This information is vital for expediting reprints. A sample of each book and booklet printing should be filed with a library card (F-110) inside the cover, showing all the printing data.
11. An important responsibility in factory operation is to work closely with the volunteers. All overseers should always be very considerate of, and interested in, their brothers. They should regularly converse with them in an endeavor to learn their problems and then give them the required assistance. An overseer should not be a boss, lording it over the volunteers, but must exercise proper love as a servant. Then he will get good cooperation, which is essential for efficient functioning of the factory. He must be observant of the abilities of each brother or sister so that he will be better able to make recommendations to the factory overseer or Branch Committee concerning the assignment of volunteers.
12. In large branches the brothers with overall factory oversight will work mainly through the department overseers in assigning out the work and transmitting information and instructions. Problems relating to volunteers, their work habits, getting along with others, cooperation, job recommendations, etc., will usually be handled by the elder group responsible for such volunteers.
13. A big job in factory operation is planning, coordinating the various departments, and keeping things moving on schedule. Overseers should know the abilities of the different workers so that the brothers can be assigned from one job to another to get things done when they need to be done. Whenever possible there should be a back-up man for each job. Brothers with the responsibility of overall factory oversight should be servants to all departments, having an interest in production and quality printing.
14. HANDBILLS: Samples of handbills for congregations are sent to all branches from the United States Branch Office. On the back of the handbill an advertisement is printed. You do not need to print the same advertisement as appears on the sample. What the United States Branch does is print an advertisement on the back of our regular-size handbill. We print the back first and stock them. Then when we want to print handbills for some congregation showing the various meetings, we just take whatever backs we have and print on the reverse side and send them out; What is printed on the back is not ;he important thing. The important thing is the front side of the handbill showing the schedule of congregation meetings. So if you print handbills. do not be concerned about matching certain backs with a certain front. If you do not have time to print the backs or it is too expensive, then just print the front of the handbills. The purpose of the handbill is to get people to the various meetings. The reason we have printed an advertisement on the back is to use it as a tract to give a message and invite the people to order some literature if they are so inclined.
15. We do not always cover our costs for printing handbills. We charge this loss off to advertising. The price on handbills will vary in different countries according to local costs.
16. In printing handbills try to make things as uniform as possible. By using the "Redefine" keys and "Submit" function on the MEPS system the entry and proofreading of handbills can be expedited and much time saved.
17. Placards or window signs will no longer be printed by printing branches except by special permission. If there seems to be some real need or value in supplying them they may be ordered from a printing branch on the handbill order form (S-16). ,Manuscript copy for all the information desired on the placard or window sign should be typewritten and supplied along with the order form. The words "Placard" or "Window Sign Order" should be typed across the top of the Handbill Order form. Instead of showing the name of the congregation, the name of the circuit should be shown in the space provided. Placard and window sign orders should not be included on the same handbill order blank as handbills, but on a separate handbill order blank (S-16).
18. MNEMONIC SYMBOLS: When a branch publishes literature in a language that is not assigned a mnemonic symbol, send a request to the Brooklyn office to assign a symbol for the publication. This is done so that there will be no repetition in symbols anywhere in the world. While we do not use symbols in sending orders between branches, yet we do use symbols when writing our local invoices, and the same symbols should be used worldwide. The Brooklyn office controls symbols.
19. Symbols for new languages and publications printed in Brooklyn will be shown on the Publications to Be Printed sheet. Branches can watch for these and keep their records up to date. A listing is also found in the back of the Cost List.
20. When making domestic invoices or orders where one principal language is spoken in a country, (like Germany), there is no need to put "X" behind every item to indicate a German publication, or in Spanish countries to put "S" to indicate Spanish publications, but the branch can use the mnemonic symbols without the language symbol. If, however, such a country has an order for an English publication, the branch can use the symbol "E" to show the publication to be sent is English and not in the national language. .Always show the language fully spelled out on branch orders.
21. When you have any forms printed or mimeographed you should always show the form number in the lower left-hand corner except for such items as letterheads, envelopes, postcards, and membership or similar certificates. There should never be two different forms bearing the same number. The mnemonic symbol for the language is shown following the form number when it is translated into another language. (Example: S-4-S 6/86) The same date as shown on the English form should be shown on the translation. Dates are changed when forms are revised in English, not when they are translated.
22. SAMPLES OF PRINTED FORMS AND PUBLICATIONS: All branches that do printing of magazines should send one sample copy to Watchtower Farms Magazine Department if the branch does not send a bulk supply. If a bulk supply is sent the sample will be taken from the bulk supply. All branches printing books, booklets, or Our Kingdom Ministry should send one sample copy of each to the Brooklyn office. This is done on the initial printing and also on all reprints of books and booklets. It is not necessary to send samples of printed forms. A copy of all printed or mimeographed material should be kept in the branch files in date order as printed for review by the zone overseer.
23. The United States Branch Office sends to all branches one copy of everything printed that we feel branches should have. When you receive these copies, read them through carefully, then put them in your form file. The Brooklyn office does not send all of its forms to you because some are used only within the Brooklyn factory or the Bethel home itself, or maybe for local conventions. We are selective in sending some forms only to larger branches that may have a need for them.
24. THE PRINTING OF FORMS: Small branches will find it expensive to have forms printed, and we suggest that such branches reproduce their needs, possibly by mimeograph or Multilith. Generally it will be impractical for the branch to have forms printed at the United States Branch in quantities less than 500. Lesser amounts if needed (note paragraphs 2 and 3) may be reproduced locally.
25. Branches may order English forms from Brooklyn as well as forms in other languages if we print them. Always write out the name of the form and the form number on the order blank. Never order less than 500 copies of a form if it is necessary for the form to be printed for you alone. If it is a stock item there is no minimum quantity. We will not print forms in other languages unless we feel that they are needed by the branch ordering. Branches may use forms even though they have the Brooklyn office address on them instead of the branch address. Under such circumstances you may add your local address under the Brooklyn address by neatly printing it with a rubber stamp or by typewriter. In many places it is most economical for the branches to have letterheads and forms printed locally due to the high import duties on forms. Where the branches know that forms are duty free, they can order from a printing branch, but check into these matters before ordering. When ordering letterheads, envelopes, or other forms from a printing branch, a copy or a sample of the previous form showing exactly the way the form is to appear finally should be attached to the Branch Order. This does not apply to stocked service forms or handbills but to forms to be printed that are peculiar to your country only.
26. Even though some changes have been made in forms and you have old ones, continue to use the old forms until they are gone unless advised otherwise. Generally changes are not major enough to throw away old forms. Before you run out of the old ones order the new supplies to be used, allowing ample time to receive them.
27. When the Brooklyn office revises and prints an English form, no reprints of the old form will be made in any language, but the branch will use up its old supply. When a branch needs a new supply, it should revise the form to conform with the latest English form.
28. No branches are authorized to institute new forms of their own unless the Publishing Committee has been given reasons for it and you have received approval. When a new branch is opened, it is unwise to introduce many new forms to the publishers to use at once. Forms are not really important. The important thing is the preaching of the good news of the Kingdom, organizing the publishers into congregations and helping them to be spiritually strong and active. Do not burden them down with a lot of book work. It is only when there are many congregations that a number of forms are really needed. A good rule to follow is that the fewer forms you have to use, the better it is. The brothers should get accustomed to using the essential forms that have to do with reporting to the congregation and the congregation's reporting to the office. There are very few other forms that are needed in the small branches.
29. PRINTING OF BOOKS AND BOOKLETS: Any branch that prints books or booklets should always have their requisitions approved by the Publishing Committee before going ahead with printing. The branch should be sure too that the quantity ordered is the right amount and based on the movement of that kind of literature. Think and check carefully before writing out a requisition.
30. When a branch gets approval to print a book or booklet, the approval for the printing of that quantity of literature gives the branch approval to purchase paper, cloth, cardboard, or anything else that goes into the making of that publication. It is not necessary to send requisitions through to the Publishing Committee for approval for these other supplies if the overall approval has been given.
31. Branches should keep accurate cost records of all publications produced. In addition to production cost you will need to add in the cost of freight, insurance, and duty. Insurance generally runs about 16 cents per one hundred dollars of value.—See Printing Costs and Accounting, chapter 19.
32. PUBLICATIONS TO BE PRINTED SHEET: Before printing any publication at Brooklyn or any other printing branch, it is good to have it listed on the Publications to Be Printed sheet some time before you plan to print it. If you have approval to print a publication locally, send a memorandum to the Brooklyn office requesting that it be listed on a coming Publications to Be Printed sheet. Be sure to allow sufficient time before an item is to be printed for it to appear on the sheet and for the branches to send in their orders. Then when the orders from various branches reach the printing branch, it can be determined just how many to print for other countries.
33. ART PROOFS, FILM, ETC.: When art proofs or film are sent to a printing branch, if required for custom purposes be sure that certified invoices are sent to the printing branch at the time they are mailed. One or two copies of the certified invoice should be placed inside the parcel for custom purposes as required. Additionally, two more copies of the certified invoice should be mailed immediately to the printing branch.
34. When furnishing such material for reproduction and printing be sure it is properly identified. Remember that persons working in printing branches do not necessarily understand your language. Therefore, you should be careful to make everything as foolproof as possible for the printing branch.
35. When sending art proofs or film for magazines, be sure to send a complete dummy. A dummy is a preliminary layout showing the position of the text and illustrations as they are to appear in the final reproduction. This dummy for books should include the title page, publishers page, advertisements, and the dummy layout for the cover, showing how the title should appear. In some instances a locally printed magazine could serve as the dummy and be sent with the proofs or film.
36. In putting advertisements in a book or booklet you should never advertise publications that are not already in stock in your language. It would be better to leave pages blank than to advertise publications that do not appear in the language in which the new publication appears.
37. Due to postal regulations in the United States we do not advertise The Watchtower and Awake! in books or booklets.
38. When receiving art proofs or film, occasionally we experience difficulty because not enough room has been allowed to insert a picture. This requires adjusting the picture or cropping it. This does not always work for the best appearance, so care is necessary in following the outline of the English picture to allow sufficient spacing. It may be necessary to reword the text to ensure adequate space for the picture.
39. At present the Society has been including many four-color pictures in the Yearbook, other books, brochures, and this will come to include a goodly number of language editions of our magazines. It will greatly complicate matters and result in greatly increased expense if each individual language edition Of these publications has its own layout with its own location of four-colour pictures. It is desirable that each printing branch keep on hand standard master flats of all three-color artwork and match these with the black art and text in any given language. This will require that with all language editions of our magazines or other publications to be printed in four colors, the color pictures fall in exactly the same location on the same pages as in the English edition. This is becoming more important now that so many editions of our magazines, and also books, are published simultaneously.
40. In the case of magazines and other publications which are printed in other branches, and also printed in Brooklyn, it is necessary that the text flats sent to Brooklyn follow exactly the same page layout and location of four-color artwork as in the English edition. If there is to be some variation, such as a French, German or Italian edition of a magazine not using the same ad, then the ad should be in black only. Otherwise we do not have the time to do all the work necessary to produce a different four-color ad and get the magazine out on time.
41. PAGE AND TEXT-AREA SIZES: It is important to follow the English text-area sizes when preparing art proofs or film because they are based on machinery limitation-, and publication standardization. The standard page size in a regular-size book, Bible, or booklet is 4-1/2" x 6-1/2" (114mm x 165mm). Text-area size is 86mm x 144mm. For pocket-size books, page size is 4" x 6-1/4" (102mm x 159mm). Text-area size is 84mm x 145mm. Magazine-size book page size is 7" x 9" (178mm x 228mm). Text-area size is the same as the English publication. Bi12 page size is 4-1/2" x 6-1/2" (114mm x 165mm). Text-area size is 92mm x 147mm. If a set number of pages is established for a particular publication, you should adjust text composition and/or wording to fit your language translation into the I allotted space.
42. In supplying art proofs or film to a printing branch that uses offset rotary presses endeavor to keep your publications in 32-page units. Ten signatures make a book of 320 pages; twelve signatures, 384; and so forth.
43. Should it ever be necessary to produce art proofs oversize they must be in proportion to the final page. The proper proportions may be secured by running a line diagonally through the print on a standard-size page from the lower left-hand corner through the upper right-hand corner and extended to the extremity desired. Next, extend the left-hand and bottom margins. By then drawing in the right-hand and upper margin to close the rectangle a proportionate-size page can be reached. This can be reduced to the proper size by photographic reduction. It is important that all pages for a given publication as supplied in art-proof or artwork form be of identical length and width measurements. No line of characters should be allowed to exceed the maximum width measurement by any amount, no matter how small. Similarly, all pages should be of the same length if at all possible, but the longest page should not exceed the maximum allowed for the established size of the publication. All pages must be photographed at one camera setting based on the largest page dimensions, and even one over-width or over-length page requires that the whole publication be reduced by the amount determined from the over-standard page.
44. When a page is prepared in proportionately larger size and contains an illustration, the space allotted in the page for the illustration must also be increased in the same proportion as the whole page. Only if the space for the illustration is also proportionately enlarged will it be possible to insert the actual illustration after the page is reduced to actual size. If you need more details on this matter write the United States Branch.
45. Good quality should be maintained on any art proofs or film sent in. There must be no wrinkles, creases, or tears in the proofs, nor stains or smudges that might show up when the proofs are processed photographically. On all text material it is very important that the density of blackness be consistent over the entire page and from page to page. This needs to be checked closely.
46. New artwork prepared for magazine article titles should be sent to the printing branch in ready-to-photograph form, using opaque white paper but not tracing paper. If the printing branch is expected to prepare the artwork, sufficient time should be allowed for at least one proofreading by the translating branch. Copy supplied for artwork, titles, and illustrations should be typewritten, clearly showing the desired capitalization and word arrangement. The original English word should be shown under the corresponding translated word or words in a title, to guide proper artwork design. If in preparing the artwork, layout lines are used to line up the lettering, a light blue pencil should be used for the layout lines and NOT a black lead pencil. The light blue will not photograph. The text and illustrations to print should be dense black, with clean sharp outlines.
47. We feel sure that the overseers who are acquainted with printing to any extent at all will see the importance of having things right in the beginning, because if there is an error in proofs or film and that error is printed, then thousands of errors will be printed. If you have an edition of 100,000 of a publication, there are going to be 100,000 mistakes made. That is why it is so important that the text be correct. The branch committee coordinator should see to it that good copy or clean proofs are always provided. Then when the literature is printed it will be something that the publishers of the whole country will be proud of and happy to have.
48. THE PRINTING OF MAGAZINES: Accuracy in determining the printing ( quantity is important to ensure having enough copies to fill orders while not having many left over, which would waste time and money. Therefore, printing quantities should be carefully determined based on the following figures: subscriptions (current, new subscriptions expected, and renewals expected), distributors' orders from congregations (regular orders, special orders on hand, and special orders anticipated for special issues), waste during mailing operations, and a small amount for stock quantity (no more than 25-100 copies for most small languages).
49. At times there may be a shortage of a particular issue. In the case of shortages "second" quality magazines may be used. Also, to avoid the need for small reprints, some of the regular distributors' orders may be reduced in quantity if the shortage is noted during mailing. In such case the congregation account would be credited. Subscriptions should always be mailed before distributors' orders. All of the paid subscribers copies should be mailed even if there is a shortage. If an issue goes out of stock after the mailing of the current subscriptions and regular distributors' orders are completed, it is not necessary to reprint the issue. Reprints may be made for a specially advertised issue or issues on which there are large quantities of late orders. On an offset rotary press, 2-3,000 is generally the minimum quantity that would warrant a reprint.
50. In order to handle leftover magazines due to small overruns, after the main mailing of subscriptions and distributors orders is completed, take an inventory. Deduct the amount needed for expected new subscriptions and renewals and the few copies for stock. The remainder should be mailed out as soon as possible as "EXTRAS." Mail them to the congregations in your country or in a country which uses large quantities of that language. To accomplish the sending out of extras, follow through a consecutive list of congregations, sending about 5% of the amount of the regular distributors' order to each congregation until the leftover quantity is exhausted. Indicate on the list where you leave off so that you can begin with the next congregation the next time you need to send out extras. When the end of the list is reached, start over from the beginning. On the label for these extras include the word "EXTRA" at the top so that the congregation will know why they are receiving these magazines. Congregations are not charged for these magazines. The congregation can distribute them in the same way as the regular distributors' copies and the monies received can be applied to their magazine account. If this arrangement is new in your country you may inform the congregations about it by means of Our Kingdom Ministry. The intent should be to hold such overruns to a minimum.
51. As to the type of paper used for printing The Watchtower and Awake!, this is determined by the Publishing Committee. New language editions of the magazines may be started on newsprint or a paper using a large percentage of ground wood. If the income for magazines is not sufficient to cover a better quality of paper, continue to use such less expensive paper on The Watchtower. If it is thought practical to print The Watchtower on a better quality paper than Awake!, your reasons and recommendations should be submitted to the Publishing Committee for consideration.
52. It is not necessary for branches to use a second color in addition to the black unless you know that the Society can bear the cost and that it will add something to the magazine in the way of distribution. It is fully appreciated that many branches would like to have their magazines in two or more colors, but this is a matter to be decided by the Publishing Committee. Can the Society afford to print your edition in color? There is no objection to your making recommendations and showing the Publishing Committee how it can be done and what costs will be involved. At all times we are anxious to improve the standard of the magazine and increase its circulation. If a Branch Committee believes color would help and the costs would be covered by the distribution of subscriptions and distributors copies, the Committee should make its recommendation.
53. The Watchtower and Awake! in all languages should be able to bear their own costs. The production and distribution costs of the various language magazines should be covered by receipts from subscriptions and from distributors' copies. Printing branches should receive enough money to cover the cost of translation, paper, typesetting, and mailing, with a little excess if that is possible for advancing Kingdom interests in your own country. It is not desirable that magazines be offered to the people at less than the cost of printing and distributing them. Magazines should support themselves. The Society may need to subsidize the publication of new editions of magazines. but in time each should bear its own burden.
54. MULTILANGUAGE ELECTRONIC PHOTOTYPESETTING SYSTEM (MEPS): This is the Society's own computer-driven typesetting system With it virtually any language can be typeset and composed and output produced by the MEPSetter for photographing and eventual printing by the offset method. Most printing branches are or will be equipped with this system. A maximum of four graphics terminals can be operated on one MEPS computer unit. Personal computers can be attached on a network link to MEPS. These can be used to enter text in many languages. These PC's can also be used for word processing, subscription and magazine handling, literature order entry and inventory control, as well as invoice preparation and other related office functions.
55. Publication copy may be dual entered and compared by the computer to save proofreading time when working from manuscript. Translators may enter text directly as they work or typists can enter text from dictation equipment. Normal proofreading and editing can be done until the text is clean and ready to release for composing and output on the MEPSetter. All types of work can be done on the MEPS: forms, handbills, magazines, tracts, booklets, brochures, books, Bibles, etc.
56. TRAINING AND MAINTENANCE: Operators should be properly trained, I and, whenever possible, back-up volunteers should be trained to serve in the absence of the regular operators. Since this is a complex electronic system, it is imperative to have skilled technicians trained to maintain the MEPS system. This may require sending someone to Brooklyn or one of the maintenance centers, such as Germany, Japan, or South Africa, for adequate training. This may take four or five months. Since the system is the Society s, manuals will be provided for both hardware and software. As improvements and updates are made in the system, maintenance volunteers should familiarize themselves well with such adjustments. It is the desire to keep all of the MEPS systems at the same level so work can be moved around easily and so that programs will run in any branch having a similarly configured MEPS. This will require that as soon as a new release update is received at the branch it should be implemented into your MEPS. To operate properly, the MEPS requires a clean, air-conditioned environment free of dust and static electricity. Hardware and software problems encountered when using the MEPS system should be reported properly on the ' MEPS Problem Report" form. It is important to do this so fixes can be made and the software especially be kept problem free. This information is also
beneficial in making improvements in the system.
57. SECURITY: The Branch Committee, factory overseer and all other responsible volunteers must be concerned to maintain the integrity of the data kept in the MEPS system. Proper logon procedures and other security measures should be observed. A system of copying the data to diskette or tape should be regularly employed as a safety measure to preserve data in case of emergencies, power failures, etc.
58. FONT SELECTION: The MEPS system uses type fonts that the Society has digitized, that is, converted to electronic form. Should additional letters or accents be required in any language, a branch order should be submitted for the Graphics Department's Font Digitizing section to produce them. Generally font selection will follow the English for style of face used in a given publication. In languages that use other alphabets or scripts, there is a more limited selection. However, adequate fonts are available to produce an attractive publication. If additional typefaces are desired in such languages, then a branch order would need to be submitted for such and a covering letter explaining the need. If approved, artwork for all characters in the language would be required, or proofs of existing hot metal fonts for use in creating images that would be digitized. This process requires several months' time.
59. SPECIAL ACCENTS: The Society s Roman-based fonts have a large set of international accents that cover most of the languages in which the Society is presently printing. Should additional letters or accents be required in any language, a branch order should be submitted for the Font Digitizing Department to produce them. Artwork or a sketch showing what is required should accompany the branch order and also some written explanation explaining its need, use and placement in the font.
60. NEW LANGUAGE ACCENTS AND STYLE: The accents needed to set a new language as well as its rules of typography and grammar are often available from local universities. Officially accepted standards are ~t hat should be used. If the e is no official standard for a certain aspect of typesetting, then what is current typographical practice in quality publications can serve as a guide. Consulting all concerned beforehand will help since there may be practical considerations involved, and informing all concerned afterward in writing will be appreciated by everyone. In order to get all the needed information a "Language Information" questionnaire should be filled out. Please request blank questionnaires from Brooklyn.
61. OPERATOR TRAINING: Instruction should be steady but not rushed. It generally takes two weeks for a student to learn the basics of the machine and to reach an acceptable level of accuracy on the keyboard so as to be able to operate fairly independently and do production work. To become proficient at composition requires more time, several months to become productive. MEPS manuals are provided for such training.
62. There is a variety of keyboard fingering systems in use in the industry. With each language comes a suggested keyboard layout. However, with the "Redefine" function an operator can tailor the keyboard to his liking on the MEPS.
63. COOPERATION WITH PROOFREADING: It has been found advantageous to give proofreaders a brief course on the MEPS operation so that they are acquainted with its capabilities. This helps measurably in communication between the two departments.
64. JOB AND FLATBED PRINTING: The reason for printing is to enable people to read and gain knowledge. Therefore, it is essential to give careful attention to printing in order ~o provide good quality, representative of the truth. After typesetting and camera preparation of the negatives the first operation is the preparing of the stripped up flats. Then offset plates are made. Care must be exercised in each procedure to produce a quality printed page.
65. The next step is the feeding and delivering on the press. Good operation here depends on a well-cleaned air system, well-maintained suction cups, and good mechanical adjustment. Caution should always be taken to make certain that the margins are proper before printing begins
66. The quality of printing depends basically upon (1) proper packing of both plate and blanket cylinders to get the right impression, (2) properly set ink and water rollers, and (3) ink and water adjustment. It is very essential to keep rollers in good condition. It is not economical to try to run rollers beyond the point of their expected life. The rollers should always be true round and have a good, tacky surface. The ink rollers should be washed down every night to avoid caking of ink. Sometimes the plate may ( need to be gummed up if the press has to sit idle awhile, and later washed before starting to print again. The quality of printing is highly dependent, too, on correct ink distribution, which should be constantly watched and kept in adjustment.
67. Setoff, which is wet ink transferred from one sheet to another, is a constant hazard to printing where dryers are not used. It can easily be caused by too much ink and water being used or by the wrong type of ink for the particular paper being used. Setoff can also be caused by allowing the pile of printed sheets to stack too high. A third cause is the lifting up of the pile unevenly when you are inspecting during the time of printing and before the ink is dry. A fourth cause is the cutting of the material before it is sufficiently dried. All these steps should be watched carefully, because a well-arranged print job and a well-printed job can be ruined in the last stages with setoff.
68. Static electricity is another problem quite often found present around presses. One simple operation that is often very effective is to get a cord of copper tinsel and stretch it across the press so that the surface of the sheet will come in contact with the tinsel as it passes underneath it just before piling. The tinsel should be tied to metal parts of the press to act as a ground. On larger presses a "static eliminator" device may be required.
69. Good production of a press can be obtained by careful organization on the part of the pressman and a well-maintained machine that is operated at a proper speed. By organization we also mean to have the work so well planned in the order of printing of the different jobs as to minimize the amount of time a press is not running. Generally, the next job for the press should be readied in the stripping and platemaking areas while the previous job is running on the press. The cleanliness of the machine with proper lubrication is also essential to maintain a good quality of production.
70. OFFSET PRINTING: On job work in Brooklyn and most branches we are printing everything by means of lithographic or offset printing. All that we need to make a plate to print with this process is copy that is clear, with good contrast. We can take an existing form from stock for this. We then take a photograph with a process camera that exposes a negative. The negative then is placed over an inexpensive lithographic plate and exposed to a bright light. We use a plate exposure light that shines through the negative onto the light-sensitive plate. The plate then becomes harder where the light shines through. With a chemical developer (supplied by the plate maker), we develop the plate. The developer makes the area where the letters have been exposed greasier, adding a coat of material where the image or type was on the negative.
71. Then the plate is put on the press. The press puts water on the plate first. The water does not stick on the greasy image area, but it does flow across the rest of the plate, wetting it. Then ink rollers come across the plate. The ink sticks only on the greasy areas, and not where the water is. Then the plate comes n contact with a rubber blanket that is pliable yet firm, especially prepared to accept the ink from the plate. The paper is pressed between the rubber blanket that now has the image in ink on it, and a steel impression cylinder. The ink comes off the blanket onto the paper, and the form is printed.
72. INK: In acquiring -.k it is not always the lowest-priced ink that turns out to be the cheapest. ink. The way to determine the value of the ink is by figuring the number of impressions obtained per pound. Whenever you purchase ink you should always consult with the inkmaker, submitting samples of paper so as to obtain ink suitable for the particular press and type of paper you will use. Many branches get their ink from Brooklyn where it is made in ou ink Room. There is no objection to branches buying ink locally if a good supplier can be found. Before ordering ink from Brooklyn the cost of local ink should be taken into consideration. With government restrictions it is becoming increasingly difficult to ship ink and chemicals.
73. If at any time you desire to obtain ink from Brooklyn, you should always send along a sample of the paper (8-1j2" x 11") that the ink is to be used on; also tell us the type and speed of press on which you print.
74. OBTAINING MACHINERY: It is usually not worthwhile to acquire old or heavily-worn machines, even free. It costs too much to make them work properly. Brand new machines are not always necessary, however. Used machines of recent mc~ufacture are often as good, and much less expensive.
75. CARE OF MACHINERY: The best maintenance is preventive maintenance. It is more economical and practical to keep a machine well maintained than to let it be neglected and break down. This will be more expensive and cause greater delay. Therefore, regularly scheduled machine inspection should be followed.
76. Lubrication is the life of the machine. It is good from time to time to have a person with a good understanding of the machinery, possibly a plant mechanic, check over all the machines to make certain that all points are being lubricated. A most vital and essential part of the machine operation is proper lubrication, seeing that all the oil holes are kept clean so that oil gets to the proper place. It is better to oil a machine more frequently with a small amount of oil than with a large amount less frequently, as then a greater portion runs off the machine unused. This is wasteful and is not good for the machine. as it runs with less lubrication.
77. Cleanliness of the machine is very important. It gives increased life to the machine and results in a better quality of production. Eighty-five percent of all machine problems are caused by dirt. Therefore, the machines as well as the whole work area should be kept clean. To help ensure this, there are daily, weekly, monthly, and semi-annual chores to be performed that should not be neglected under any circumstances. Negligence, particularly in the daily chores, can quickly ruin major parts of the machine. However, one rule that should always be followed is: A machine should never be cleaned while it is in motion. This is too dangerous, in that the cloth may get caught in the machine and result in injury to the operator of the machine.
,8. It is too often thought that production comes by speed, but this is not the case. A machine should not run above a practical speed. It is not speed that makes production; it is steadiness. Therefore, if a machine is run at a practical speed. it will result in better quality as well as satisfactory production and a longer life for the machine and less strain on the operator.
79. SAFETY: We do not want to have anyone get hurt working around machinery; to prevent this requires effective safety measures. Any part of the machine that appears to be dangerous should have proper guards installed so that volunteers are protected. You should always watch that all guards are used and in position. Whenever a new person is assigned a machine, explain to him each section of the entire machine and caution him about any dangerous things to avoid. All machine operators should be constantly cautioned as to the importance of safety. In recent y ears governments have been requiring volunteers working in noisy areas or on loud presses and machinery to wear hearing protection such as ear plugs, ear muffs, etc. Also, steps to deaden or lessen the sound to acceptable levels must be taken. Branch Committees, factory overseers, and department overseers should become acquainted with what is required and see that some reasonable measures are taken to comply with such regulations for the good of all.
80. The Brooklyn factory has a press manual for the converted MAN offset rotary presses. You may order one if you have such a rotary press.
81. UNUSED MACHINERY: If you have machinery that has not been used for some time but can be made to produce, do not dispose of it without getting permission from the Publishing Committee. It may be that it can be sent to another branch. Inform the Publishing Committee in a separate memo containing necessary data sent with your annual report if you have any machines not in use.
82. SILK SCREEN PROCESS FOR PLACARDS AND WINDOW SIGNS: This process is explained on pages 121 to 123 of the 1965 edition of Branch Office Procedure.
83. DUPLICATING METHODS: There are a number of methods that can be used to duplicate publications if printed material is not available for one
reason or another. These include offset duplicators, copiers, mimeographs, and spirit duplicators. Some branches use offset duplicators or mimeograph machines for producing limited editions of such items as the Watchtower magazine, Our Kingdom Ministry, Examining the Scriptures Daily and other publications in various languages.
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