10/21/2026
One wrong cut can change an entire print job. Rob makes sure that doesn’t happen ✂️
We’re excited to spotlight Rob Ryan, Large Cutter Operator, who has spent five years at Cober and nearly three decades mastering a part of the print process where precision, experience and a deep understanding of paper make all the difference.
Rob joined Cober in 2021 with experience across cutting, folding, stitching and kitting. Today, you’ll find him at our largest cutter, the Polar 137XT, taking large-printed sheets from our litho presses, stacking them up to 6.5 inches thick, roughly 1,000 to 1,500 sheets, and precisely cutting them for the next stages of production. The machine generates up to 8,800 lbs of clamp pressure to hold paper securely in place.
But cutting paper isn’t as simple as it may look.
Different stocks, weights, layouts and finishing requirements change how each job needs to be approached. Before the first cut, Rob checks trim marks, page order and print quality, then completes a test cut to ensure everything flows seamlessly. As Rob explains, “Every type of paper has a different reaction.”
With as many as 8–10 skids moving through his area each day, Rob’s role is as physical as it is precise. A typical skid of #70 text weighs roughly 1,175 lbs. Air-assisted tables help heavy paper glide across the surface, reducing physical strain. Experience has taught Rob to understand how different stocks behave, find efficiencies and never assume two jobs are the same. His rule? “Think before you cut.”
That attention to detail extends beyond his workstation. Rob believes great production is about understanding how your work affects everyone who comes next. His advice after 28 years in print: “You are not an island.” Doing your job well makes the next person’s job easier and the entire team stronger.
Outside of Cober, Rob brings his hands-on creativity home. Alongside his wife, he creates cement statues through Ryan’s Cementheads.
Rob also collects tattoos instead of souvenirs when he travels, with Paris, London and Dublin already represented. If he makes it to New Zealand, he’d love to get a traditional Māori tattoo and see a Haka live.
Rob’s craftsmanship, efficiency and decades of hands-on knowledge are a reminder of how much expertise goes into every printed piece before it leaves our floor.
