How to Test—and Teach—Basic Printer Math Skills

How many times will we complain about the lack of fundamental education of entry-level workers before doing something about it? Blaming the school system, politicians or MTV doesn't do anything to improve the ability of employees to read instructions or run equipment. It's time to take a

Many people applying for job openings don't have basic reading, writing, math and ruler measuring skills. You're kidding yourself if you expect them to be able to understand job jackets, read equipment manuals or read/interpret written procedures. If we could improve the fundamental skills of our workers, wouldn't we increase their opportunity for promotions and increase morale? Might spoilage and turnover be reduced? By sharing basic knowledge, rather than critiquing workers' deficiencies, we can establish reasonable expectations of our people and help them to succeed.

When and how to identify workers that need help should be a matter of company policy and adherence to state work rules. Some printing companies quiz prospective employees with at least one question centering on a demonstrated ability to read a ruler as part of the application process. Some firms ask job candidates to complete their application form on the premises to prevent outside intervention or assistance.

But what you don't want to do, as a manager, is to pre-judge a worker who has, in most respects, a wonderful attitude and work ethic, but is simply limited by his or her lack of basic education. Some of these people can be valuable assets, though perhaps only in certain jobs that will require constant supervision. In other cases, you might find a diamond in the rough—someone who could qualify for more complex positions down the road.

One large printing company bought a trailer, hired a retired teacher and opened a training center. The lessons were centered on specific skills a worker needs to do the job properly. Training included how to read job jackets, essential math used on the production floor, understanding equipment manuals, and basics on company policy. For some workers who never understood the importance of math in school, the experience provided an incentive to learn.

Certificates of completion and diplomas are no proof of accomplishment these days. (There are college graduates who have problems adding fractions.) I recommend testing everyone and identifying those people who, if you listen, are calling for help.

To aid in this process, I've developed a list of 53 questions from which you can draw your own practical math and reasoning test. Add or delete items that fit your particular needs. (Sample questions appear below; the complete list is available online at www.graphicartsmonthly.com .)

This test intentionally skips use of multiple-choice answers: Guessing should never be encouraged when it comes to interpretation of instructions. The use of a calculator should be allowed. After an exam is administered, someone must go over wrong answers with employees. People who scored below 75% should be considered candidates for remedial training. Would you want an estimator who didn't get at least 90%?

Printing Math Test

1. A skid of paper weighs 2,000 lbs. and the paper costs 40¢ per lb. How much is the skid worth?

2. You live 30 miles from work and your car gets 20 miles per gallon. How much gasoline will it take you to make five round trips per week?

3. How many 8½×11´´ pieces of paper can you cut out of a 22×34´´ sheet?

4. There are 20 layers of books on a skid, and each layer has 40 books. How many books are on the skid?

5. A roll of laminate is 19´´ wide and 10,000 feet long. How many 19×24´´ sheets of paper will the roll cover?

6. If 100 sheets of cover paper measures 1´´, how many sheets are there in a stack of paper that's 35½´´ high?

7. If a single carton weighs 50 lbs., and there are 15 cartons total, how much do all the cartons weigh?

8. If you make $10 per hour and time-and-a-half overtime is paid after 40 hours per week, how much will you earn working 50 hours in a week?

9. A page in a book is 7´´ wide. The customer wants ¾´´ on both the left and the right side of each page of white paper. How wide can a column of type be?

10. A service technician comes to fix one of our machines, and they charge $75 per hour. If they need five hours to fix the machine, how much will it cost us?

11. A customer wants us to mail a flyer for them. There are 20,500 pieces. The postage will cost 20¢ each. How much will the postage cost total?

12. If a printing press runs at 5,000 sheets per hour, how long will it take to print 25,000 sheets?

13. One ream of paper is 500 sheets. Each carton holds 10 reams. How many total sheets are in a carton?

14. John pays $80 every other week towards his health insurance. How much does he pay for his insurance for the entire year?

15. A printing job costs $6,000. State sales tax is an additional 5%. How much would the entire bill be?

16. If blue ink costs $7.50 per lb. and it comes in 5-lb. cans, how much does one can cost?

17. A book is 8½×11×¼´´ high. Our cartons are 11 1/8×17 1/8×6´´ high. How many books will fit in a carton?

18. A binding machine takes one helper for every four pieces. If a book has 23 pieces, how many helpers will it take to bind the book?

Epstein is a third-generation printer who works as a production manager at Automated Graphic Systems, White Plains, MD, which is part of the Consolidated Graphics network of companies. www.automatedgraphicsystems.com