Printing on Kluge….is it ok?

casmit, are you pronouncing it
Klu-ghee o Kluge ryhming with fudge?
Letterpress are letterpress why do you require a Kluge?
Platens are good for certain jobs as cylinders are good for other jobs. It is really the printer who makes the best choice which press to put the job on assuming he has
the machinery to work from. best james

Klu Gee is how I’m pronouncing it. (hard G like girl)

Letterpress are not letterpress is what I’m learning. Different letterpress are preferred for different types of paper, sizes of print, size of job, etc.

Just trying to find the best letterpress for my application. Qty of 300 or less, 2-3 color, 220lb or thicker paper.

I printed on a Kluge for a few years and loved it. Why did the people you asked say “its not the best thing to do”?

A Heidelberg is a great press, however, if the HW is your first press it could get overwhelming if your don’t have instruction first.

The overall sentiment is the Kluge is best left to die cutting and foil stamping. I never get a clear answer as to why so that’s what I opened a discussion here.

I figured I get some additional input. One guy said the setup and registration for each job is just a pain to work with. Specifically since I’m not doing very large volume for each job.

I print every day on a kluge, i think their ink system is better than a windmill. i do my foil stamping on a windmill and most of my printing on the kluge. Dick G.

any problems with setup Dick? How long does the average print job take to get ready?

casmit, There are two kinds of letterpress cylinders and platens, both kinds are letterpress. As I stated above
different press’ different jobs’ the presspersons experience
dictates the best press for the job. Make ready varies
from job to job and experience is key. From my understanding you are learning that performance varies
from press to press but in the end they are all letterpress.
I would like to know which letterpress’ are not letterpress’
and where you learned that. best james

I agree with dickg about the kluge. I have windmills and kluges and use both. If I have a big diecutting job, I sometimes run both at the same time, but prefer not to. If you are familiar with both, the kluge is the easiest to makeready. A line gauge (pica pole for compositors) is imperative in makeready. Learn to think in picas/points — not inches.

The Kluge is a fine press. I had the benefit of learning about them in a shop with several senior pressmen to help juniors ‘learn the trade’. I can see that it may little dificult for a newbe without assistance. I urge you to keep trying and reach out to the kind people on this board, when you have questions.

I went ahead with the Kluge purchase based on all the input from everyone on this board. You all have been very helpful.

I’m looking forward to using it. It only has two rollers on it though….would it help to add two more?