Hello Jeffery,
Congratulations on your Adana purchase. It is certainly possible to produce some really great work on an Adana. I’ve seen some lovely books and other ephemera at Wayzgooses here in the UK that were printed entirely on an 8×5 Adana.
I’m a relative new-comer myself, and find that the actual printing takes no time at all compared to the type-setting and make-ready. I guess it helps to know the limitations of your press. By ‘reasonable impressions’ I’m assuming you mean even printing rather than deep impression?
My Adana is mounted on a little school desk, which is a little low, but I’d suggest that you mount yours to something for ease of use. Personally, I don’t use gauge pins or a typan as such, as I find that with some trial and error, it’s enough to tape a piece of leading to the packing material in order to centre my paper.
The thing I keep trying to remember is patience. It may sound trite, but the more care I take with the make-ready and set-up, the better the work turns out. Everything takes longer than I expect, and any attempt to hurry the process or cut corners shows in the finished product.
Good luck and happy printing!
Lizzie