In the ink world, press side service is a necessary part of an ink company's service to the customer and it can be a real opportunity for a company to set themselves apart from their competition. In this article we're going to look at what it means to be a service technician and what you'll need in terms of tools. In some cases the "salesman" for the ink company will double as the press side technician, but it is also common for a bench technician to venture out to the home of the printer. Under these circumstances it can be a daunting task for both newcomer and one with more experience.
In my experience I can count on one hand the number of non-technical "ink salesmen" that have survived in this business, because in this industry you're only as good as your knowledge of inks. Many salesman started out by working in the laboratory and eventually moved into sales, so it's not uncommon for salesmen to provide press side service in conjunction with a technician.