{"id":9820,"date":"2026-10-22T02:19:56","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T02:19:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relyoffset.com\/?p=9820"},"modified":"2026-10-22T02:19:56","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T02:19:56","slug":"komori-lithrone-28-ink-roller-uneven-density","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relyoffset.com\/de\/komori-lithrone-28-ink-roller-uneven-density\/","title":{"rendered":"Komori Lithrone 28 Ink Roller Problems: Uneven Ink Density"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Uneven ink density is one of the most common complaints on the Komori Lithrone 28 \u2014 and one of the most misdiagnosed. When solids come out patchy, lighter on one side of the sheet than the other, or carry faint streaks that repeat down the length of the run, operators often reach first for the ink keys or the fountain solution. In most cases the real problem is sitting in the ink roller train.<\/p>\n<p>The roller train has exactly one job: take a heavy film of ink from the duct and split it into thinner, even films until the form rollers lay a consistent layer onto the plate. When density varies across the sheet, something in that chain has stopped delivering a uniform film. Below are the causes in the order you should check them \u2014 cheapest and fastest first.<\/p>\n<h2>Why the Ink Roller Train Causes Uneven Density<\/h2>\n<p>Any of the following will produce visible density problems on the Lithrone 28:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Glazed or hardened roller surfaces.<\/strong> Over time rollers lose their &#8220;nap&#8221; \u2014 the fine matte texture that grips and splits ink. A glazed roller looks shiny and slick under a light, and it stops transferring ink evenly.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Incorrect roller-to-roller nips.<\/strong> Nips that are too tight cause heat, glazing, and roller bounce; nips that are too light leave gaps in the film and produce light, streaky areas.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Worn bearings and journals.<\/strong> End play or runout in a roller lets it float, so the film thickness varies across the width of the machine.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Swollen or shrunken rubber.<\/strong> The wrong wash-up solvent or aggressive cleaning chemicals attack roller rubber and change the diameter, which throws every downstream nip out of spec.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ink feedback into the dampening system.<\/strong> Emulsification sends ink into the water train, which in turn mottles the image \u2014 a problem often mistaken for a pure roller fault.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Step 1 \u2014 Inspect the Roller Surfaces<\/h2>\n<p>Do this with the press stopped and locked out. Clean the train first, because a dirty roller hides everything else. Then hold a bright light at a low angle to each roller and look down the length of it.<\/p>\n<p>A healthy roller has a uniform, slightly matte surface. A glazed roller is shiny and reflective. Run the back of a fingernail lightly across the surface: a glazed roller feels hard and slick, a healthy one has a slight drag. Also look for <strong>flat spots<\/strong> \u2014 usually from dried ink left overnight against the form rollers \u2014 and for <strong>hard spots<\/strong> where the rubber has lost elasticity.<\/p>\n<p>If you find glaze or hardening on the form rollers or distributor rollers, that alone will explain uneven solids. Surface reconditioning (a light grind) often restores the roller if there is enough rubber diameter left; otherwise the roller needs recovering or replacing.<\/p>\n<h2>Step 2 \u2014 Check the Nips<\/h2>\n<p>Roller settings on the Lithrone 28 are set at the factory, but they drift over time as rubber wears and bearings develop play. A set of nip-check strips (or a strip of thin paper) is all you need to confirm the contact stripes across the full width of the machine.<\/p>\n<p>Check every roller-to-roller contact and the form-to-plate contact. The stripes should be even from one end to the other. A stripe that is wider on one side means the roller is cocked or one journal is worn. If the nip is uneven even after resetting, suspect the bearing or the journal shaft before you blame the rubber.<\/p>\n<h2>Step 3 \u2014 Check Bearings and End Play<\/h2>\n<p>Grab each roller at the end and try to rock it. Any perceptible end play or radial play means the bearing is worn, and a worn bearing lets the roller sit off-center or float under load \u2014 which produces exactly the uneven film you are chasing. Replace the bearings in pairs and re-check the nips after the swap.<\/p>\n<p>This is also a good moment to check the roller journals for scoring or wear. A grooved journal will chew through a new bearing quickly, so catch it before it does.<\/p>\n<h2>Step 4 \u2014 Replace or Recondition the Roller<\/h2>\n<p>If the rubber is glazed beyond recovery, swollen from solvent damage, or ground below its minimum diameter, reconditioning will not bring it back. In that case the roller needs recovering (the core is re-rubbered and reground to spec) or replacement.<\/p>\n<p>When you are ordering Komori press parts, match the roller to the specific unit and position rather than buying a generic size. Rollers are not interchangeable across positions, and a &#8220;close enough&#8221; diameter will throw your nip settings out again. We keep a running stock of Komori-specific press parts \u2014 from <a href=\"https:\/\/relyoffset.com\/product\/komori-plate-hanger-sucker\/\">Komori plate hanger suckers<\/a> on the feeder end to <a href=\"https:\/\/relyoffset.com\/product\/komori-slow-down-band-210x14\/\">Komori slow-down bands<\/a> in the delivery \u2014 and the full range is organised in our <a href=\"https:\/\/relyoffset.com\/category\/komori-parts-guide\/\">Komori Parts Guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Prevention: A Simple Roller Routine<\/h2>\n<p>Most uneven-density callouts are preventable with a short weekly routine:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Wash the train properly at the end of every shift \u2014 never leave ink on the rollers overnight.<\/li>\n<li>Use the wash-up solvent recommended for your roller compound; switching to an aggressive or incompatible solvent is the fastest way to harden the rubber.<\/li>\n<li>Check the nips once a month and log the stripe widths so you can see drift before it shows up in print.<\/li>\n<li>Inspect bearings for play during your monthly check and replace them at the first sign of movement.<\/li>\n<li>Keep the fountain solution in balance; excess emulsification shortens roller life and mottles solids.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Fifteen minutes a week at the roller train will prevent most of the density problems that shut down a Lithrone 28 mid-run.<\/p>\n<p><em>Disclaimer: RelyOffset parts are OEM-compatible aftermarket components. Brand names are trademarks of their respective owners.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Uneven ink density is one of the most common complaints on the Komori Lithrone 28 \u2014 and one of the most misdiagnosed. When solids come out patchy, lighter on one side of the sheet than the other, or carry faint streaks that repeat down the length of the run, operators often reach first for the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Uneven ink density on your Komori Lithrone 28? Learn the top ink roller causes \u2014 glazing, worn nips, bad bearings \u2014 and how to fix each step by step.","footnotes":""},"categories":[1242,1244],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-komori-parts-guide","category-troubleshooting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/relyoffset.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/relyoffset.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/relyoffset.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relyoffset.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relyoffset.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9820"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/relyoffset.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9820\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9821,"href":"https:\/\/relyoffset.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9820\/revisions\/9821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/relyoffset.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relyoffset.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relyoffset.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}