Sift together baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and flour.
Place the butter and shortening in the bowl of a stand mixer. With the paddle attachment, beat the fat slowly, until it is smooth and creamy.
Add the sugar; cream the mixture at moderate speed, scraping down the bowl as needed , until the mixture is smooth and light in color, about 5 - 10 minutes
Combine eggs in a separate bowl. Add the egg mixture to the batter and sugar mixture in three additions, beating until the egg mixture is absorbed, then scraping down the sides of the bowl before incorporating the next addition.
After the eggs are beaten in, scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the molasses, and continue to mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes
On low speed, add the sifted dry ingredients, 1/3 at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed until well incorporated.
Chill dough for 2 hours before rolling out to 0.25 inch thick, using as little flour as possible to prevent toughness.
Cut out shapes as close together as possible; scraps can be re-rolled but will be tougher than original. Add scraps to fresh batch of dough to minimize toughness.
Preheat conventional oven to 360°F/ Convection oven to 335°F
Bake until just barely gold around the edges, about 8-10 minutes.
Cool cookies on the pan until firm enough to move, then cool completely on drying rack