The takeoff describes both the mechanical assembly that receives finished sheets from the printing cylinders and the physical act of removing that printed stock. On older handpresses, this was a manual job handled by a dedicated assistant. On automated sheetfed presses, the takeoff system uses grippers, chains, and air blasts to guide the wet sheets into a neat stack without smearing the fresh ink.
Heard on the job
Watch the takeoff on unit four, the grippers are dropping the tail edge early and causing a messy pile.
Insider tip
A smooth takeoff is critical for preventing set-off, where wet ink from one sheet transfers to the back of the sheet dropping on top of it.