Amanda:
Here's how the press will produce documents.
A press will make a plate just like the duplicator. On a press and a duplicator we can make multiple pages of one image or sheet of information. Therefor we can set the press or the duplicator to run 1,000 pages of sheet #1. If we have a 10 page document we must run the job 10 times on the press or the duplicator.
When we are done, we have ten stacks of one thousand pages each. One thousand of page one, one thousand of page two, etc, etc.
The function of the off-line sorter is to merge all of these pages into one document.
Typically the collator or sorter will have many bins, each bin can hold "x" amount of pages. The operator puts all of page one in the first bin, all of page 2 in the second bin, all of page 3 in the third bin, etc, etc.
Once the all of the pages has been loaded the operator engages the power on the collator/sorter and then one sheet from each bin is feed simultaniously into(Hope I got that right, Graham, we need a spell checker)a holding bin, from there the paper is jogged or stacked and stapled if needed and then deposited into a holding bin.
MAKE READY SHEETS: When running a press, makeready sheets are sample sheets that are run prior to the job. They are done to adjust color, print density, speed, alternate feed, and gettting the right speed for the right stock. Most Press Craftsman will run 30 - 50 "makeready sheets" prior to running the job.
Priports require very few make ready sheets, I would say on the average less than five.
Hope this helps.
Art
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