War Stories: Press Checks Across America

“Folder jam,” said the pressman.

“How long to fix it?”

He shrugged. “Hour?”

In the good old days, when presses were less automated, press breakdowns could be quite dramatic. With a web break, for example, high speed jets of paper would suddenly erupt into the sky, then jam in the press rollers, bringing the press to a screeching halt, while smoke and flames poured from the dryer as the crew struggled to open the dryer doors.