TL;DR
- Automatic registration typically saves 6–14 minutes per job, scaling with job count.
- Value depends entirely on whether the press is capacity-limited.
- Pre-registration jigs capture most of the benefit at a fraction of the cost.
Registration is invisible in costing because it hides inside 'setup'. Splitting it out is usually the fastest way to find lost press hours.
| Manual on-press | Pre-registration jig | Camera / automatic | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time per job (4 colours) | 14–24 min | 5–9 min | 2–5 min |
| Skill dependency | High | Medium | Low |
| Investment | €0 | €1,500–6,000 | €18,000–70,000 |
| Repeat-job accuracy | Variable | Good | Excellent |
| Best for | < 6 jobs / week | 6–40 jobs / week | > 40 jobs / week |
Payback at 30 jobs per week
- Time saved
- 11 min × 130 jobs / month = 23.8 h
- Value if capacity-limited (margin)
- ≈ €3,100 / month
- Value if demand-limited
- €0 cash, 23.8 h capacity
- Camera system €38,000
- Payback ≈ 12 months — only in the capacity-limited case
Interactive example
Registration time released per month
- Hours released
- 10.8 h
- Value if capacity-limited
- € 2.052
- Value if demand-limited
- € 0
Same calculation kernel as the full calculators. For a decision-grade result, open the matching calculator.
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GuideIntermediate
Choosing the right registration system
Registration time is setup time — and setup time is the tax on short runs.
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Improving registration quality and speed
Repeatable registration removes reprints, not just minutes.
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BenchmarkIntermediate
Typical setup, registration and cycle times
Time benchmarks that decide short-run profitability.
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GuideIntermediate
When does automatic screen printing pay off?
Automation only pays when released hours turn into cash or into sold output.
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