| Step C: The Paper
Is Printed The Times has three printing facilities: one in Chatsworth, one in Costa Mesa and one in Los Angeles (the Olympic Plant). The Olympic Plant pressroom is longer than an American football field (500 feet from end-to-end). This room contains six 12-unit Goss Colorliner presses. These presses can print an average of 1,000 96-page papers a minute and can handle 24 pages of full color and six pages of spot color when printing a day's newspaper. The aluminum plates prepared in platemaking are mounted on the printing units, from one to four pages across and on the reverse side, as well. Thus, the sheets of paper – called "webs"– are printed on both sides simultaneously. The average printing speed is about 15-25 miles per hour. Once the plates are on the presses, they are washed with water and ink, with the ink adhering to the developed images and type. The ink is then transferred to a blanket roller, and this roller places the ink on the paper. Press operators will monitor the newspapers, visually checking them for print and color quality and to see how well they have been collated and folded. They don’t stop the presses to make adjustments; they use computers to change what the presses are doing as they are running. If the paper tears – a "web break" – the press(es) will shut down automatically, and the operators must rethread the paper by hand, slowly and carefully. Last Step | Next Step |
