SUBJECT: A recently established European decorator printing bottles, tableware and ceramic products using a new 8 colour Tecno 5 machine, a further 6 colour Tecno 5 machine and two single colour semi automatic machines.

THE PROBLEM: The facility was established using wooden screen frames and all screen preparation work was done in house. In spite of having excellent decorating machines, colour to colour registration was inconsistent and screen life varied from 4 to 10 hours for no apparent reason. Print quality deteriorated noticeably after only 2 hours.

THE SOLUTION: The Kwik Change Screen System was fitted to the 8 colour machine to print a 7 colour beer bottle. All other screen and machine preparation procedures and materials were unchanged.

THE RESULTS: Within a few hours of the start of printing, it was apparent that colour to colour registration and print quality were greatly improved. As printing progressed, there was no discernible loss in performance and the first set of screens continued to give excellent results and perfect colour to colour registration for 22 hours with some screens exceeding 26 hours! The system has now been fitted to the 6 colour machine and, using a mounting bar, it has also been fitted to the two single colour semi automatic machines. Total screen consumption has fallen from 55 to under 20 screen per week.