The QPC Program and the Practical Application of Statistical Process Control

SPECTRUM is the Graphic Communications Association's (GCA) annual conference devoted to improved communication of color and better coordination among the many segments involved in printing and publishing production. Attendees at recent SPECTRUM programs directed GCA's Print Properties Committee to study how the industry might evaluate, independently and in their own operations, pressroom materials such as ink, fountain solution, plates, and blankets, and their interactions. Such evaluations are likely to allow for improved color reproduction consistency, and decreased waste. After the investigation of possible approaches, the committee decided that the most effective one would couple the management philosophy of Dr. W. Edwards Deming with statistical tools. Recent application work by the committee at the Rochester Institute of Technology and in individual operations has reaffirmed the power of statistical tools as a means for understanding the printing process and predicting its performance.