An unwanted transfer of wet ink from a freshly printed sheet onto the underside of the sheet dropped directly on top of it in the delivery pile. This ruins the back of the upper sheet and reduces the ink density on the lower one. Press operators prevent it by applying anti-set-off spray powder or by running the sheets through a drying unit.
Heard on the job
Keep an eye on the delivery pile, because that heavy black solid is starting to set off on the next sheet.
Insider tip
Heavy ink coverage on glossy, non-porous paper is the most common recipe for set-off.
Also heard as
- offsetting