Press and Finishing Schedule for Printing Presses
Jobs are booked on the offset and digital machines and then through cutting, folding, lamination and binding. Each machine and finishing table has its own list of what is booked and what is done.
Booking jobs on machines
The press manager places each job on a machine for a day and a shift. A four-colour job goes to the four-colour offset press, and a short run with variable text goes to the digital press. Each machine then shows a queue in the order the manager set.
Stages after the press
Seeing what is late
Jobs due today but still at the press are highlighted. A manager can move a job to another machine or day when a plate is delayed or paper has not arrived. The change shows on the job card for the counter to see. Customers can then be told early, before the date passes.
What the schedule does not do
It does not decide which job should run first. That judgement stays with the press manager, who knows the machines and the customers. Machine hours are recorded as the stages are marked, and operators’ attendance is kept outside this module.
Frequently asked questions
Can two machines of the same kind be scheduled separately?
Yes. Every machine is entered by name, so a second four-colour press has its own queue and its own record of jobs run.
Do operators need to use a computer?
They can mark a stage done from a phone or a screen near the machine. The device used is agreed with the press.
Can a job skip a stage?
Yes. Stages are chosen on the job card, so a leaflet with no binding never shows a binding step.
Does it plan sheet imposition or ganging?
No. Imposition and ganging are done in prepress software. The schedule records which jobs were booked together on a sheet if you enter it.
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