Makeready
Makeready is the setup work before a press run — washing units, hanging plates, registering colours, ramping ink, and pulling test sheets until the job runs to specification. Makeready is non-billable time on the press, so reducing it per job is a direct margin lever.
Also called: press setup · make-ready · press makeready · job setup waste · makeready time
In depth
On a sheet-fed offset press, makeready typically takes 15 to 40 minutes depending on the number of colours, the stock change, and the operator. The press runs at a fraction of running speed while colour bars, density, and registration are dialled in against a target proof. Several hundred sheets of paper are pulled and discarded as "make-ready waste" before the job is declared on-colour.
Modern presses with closed-loop colour control (e.g. Heidelberg Prinect Inpress Control) cut makeready dramatically by measuring the printed sheet in real time and adjusting ink keys without operator intervention. JDF tickets pre-load the press with the job's ink profile, plate set, and run length, so the operator presses one button to start the makeready sequence.
In an MIS that costs jobs properly, makeready is captured as a separate cost line on the estimate — typically a fixed per-job charge that accounts for the time plus the wasted sheets. PeakSpitz exposes this as an editable setup-cost field per press, so the estimator can tune it to match what your shop actually experiences instead of trusting a vendor's default.
Common questions
How do I reduce makeready time?
Should makeready waste come out of margin or be billed?
Related terms
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