Finishing printing materials

GATHERING. A ssembling single sheets of paper or signatures in sequence before binding is called gathening. Gathering may be done by hand or by machine. Machines used for gathering are called collator.

SCORING. The scoring operation is used to crease heavy paper or cardboard so that it can be easily and smoothly folded. A platen press can used for this purpose. Lock a piece of steel scoring rule in the chase. Scoring rule has a rounded face and is type high. Place the chase in the press and remove the ink rollers. Pack the platen and position the gage pins. Then feed the paper into the press as if it were being printed. Each sheet will be creased when the scoring rule strikes it.

Scoring can also be done by attaching scoring rollers to the delivery side of an offset duplicator, Figure 1-4. The rollers crease each sheet of paper as it is transferred from the printing unit to the delivery table.

FERFORAING. Perforating is similar to scoring. The difference is that in perforating, a series of slits or holes are punched into the paper or cardstock or cardstock to facilitate tearing. An offset duplicator can be used to perforate the sheet by a perforating wheel attached to delivery end of the machine.

To perforate on a platen ress, lock up a steel perforating rule in chase. Remove the rollers prevent the rule from cutting into them. Also protect the platen by covering it with a metal plate. Place a piece of tympan paper over this metal plate, and position the gage pins as required. Then feed the paper into the press as if it were being printed. Each sheet will be perforated when the rule strikes it.