make-ready

In printing, make-ready is the work done between the moment a job arrives at a press and the moment acceptable product starts coming off the line. It includes mounting the printing plate or form, adjusting ink flow, setting paper guides, checking registration, and running test sheets until color, positioning, and quality match the job specification. For a letterpress, gravure, or offset operation, make-ready can consume two to four hours on a complex multi-color job, and the waste during this phase, spoiled paper and ink, is factored into job costs.

The term originates from the verb phrase, to make ready: to bring something into a state of readiness. In printing, it reflects the mechanical and chemical tuning required before production. Different press types have different make-ready demands. A simple single-color offset press may need only plate mounting and ink adjustment; a six-color rotogravure press requires cylinder alignment, impression control, and ink viscosity management across multiple stations.

Reducing Make-Ready Waste

Make-ready waste is a significant cost driver, especially on short runs. Printers minimize it through standardized procedures, quick-change mechanisms for plates and cylinders, and pre-press work that ensures accurate film or digital files. Some shops use drawdown bars to preview ink color before the press runs, cutting test sheets by half. High-volume facilities may invest in automated registration systems that reduce setup time measurably.

The duration and cost of make-ready also depends on press speed. A web press running at 1000 feet per minute generates waste much faster during setup than a sheet-fed press at 150 impressions per minute. This economic reality shapes how printers quote jobs and influences decisions about batching orders or running them separately.

Make-ready is distinct from daily startup procedures, though the two often overlap. Startup is routine: charging ink reservoirs, warming cylinders, running water through the dampening system. Make-ready is job-specific: it assumes the press is in working order and focuses on fitting and tuning for the particular work at hand.