Pre-Press - Computer-to-plate

COMPUTER-TO-PLATE -- CTP Editions
May 1, 2001

BY MARK SMITH Deadline rule the realm in the publication market segment. Even the legendary power wielded by advertisers at some point must give way to the march of the calendar, if the next edition is to get out. At the same time, gaining an extra day to sell or a little more time to get late ads in can make a world of difference in profitability. The pressure to make every moment count has provided strong motivation for publication printers to implement computer-to-plate workflows. However, having that weekly or monthly publication date on the cover decreases the margin for error. It's also been

GLOBALWARE SOLUTIONS - Shining Light on CTP
February 1, 2001

BY MARK SMITH Offering the whole kit and caboodle of services to the demanding software/high-tech industry is the stock and trade of GlobalWare Solutions in Haverhill, MA. It can be a high-pressure business. With software releases, developers are always trying to do one last bug check or tweak of the code before the CDs are duplicated, manuals printed and product boxes assembled. If it's a major release, anxious buyers have been known to line up at midnight at local computer stores to be the first to get their hands on the product. So the shipments have to be on time. The need for quick turnaround puts

Showing the Digital Way--Alex Hamilton
November 1, 2000

Having just returned from Chicago, home of the Graph Expo trade show, I must now return to the drudgery of daily work. And right now, that means forecasting the future of the prepress industry. If only prognosticating were easy. Frankly, it's anything but. The data are clearly contradictory. On the one hand, sales are rising (although profits are not) and all the leading researchers seem to agree that this is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. On the other hand, there looms the impact of the Web, which most pundits predict will severely impact commercial printing's future. Yet, if navigating one's way through the crowds tromping

CTP Experiences--Digital Devotees
November 1, 2000

BY MOLLY JOSS In a little more than five years, computer-to-plate (CTP) technology has moved past the early experimenter phase and has moved into the later stages of the early adopter stage. Some might even argue it's moved into the early stages of the mainstream phase. However you measure it, it's difficult to argue that CTP is a flash-in-the-pan technology. Still, it hasn't yet found its way into every print shop in the nation and around the world. Widespread acceptance to that degree is yet to come. Wanting to get an inside look at how CTP is coming along, Printing Impressions recently spoke

Pros and Cons of Pre-, Post- and No-bake Plates
October 1, 2000

BY MOLLY W. JOSS Here's a riddle for you: It's not cake batter, it's not cookie dough, but you still have to bake it to get the most enjoyment out of it. What is it? To some the answer will be obvious: it's a printing plate. Even if you didn't guess the answer to the riddle, you may still find yourself deriving enjoyment—or at least increased print runs and other benefits—from baking digital plates. Depending upon the plate and the print job it's intended for, you stand to gain significant production advantages by using a plate that requires baking either before or after

E&D Web--Pursuit of Productivity
October 1, 2000

E&D Web believes that using the latest printing technology delivers the rewards of greater productivity and profits. It's no wonder then that the 36-year-old commercial printing operation is able to push more jobs through its facility by using some of the most advanced printing equipment in the industry. "We strive every day to operate as efficiently as possible," says Ken Love, COO of the Cicero, IL-based company. "Several press and plate processing equipment acquisitions have brought us leaps and bounds ahead of how we used to work." In E&D Web's endless pursuit of greater quality and productivity, bi-metal plates from Printing Developments Inc. (PDI)

Thermal Plates -- The Heat is On
October 1, 2000

BY MOLLY W. JOSS When computer-to-plate (CTP) technology expanded from the single choice of conventional platesetters to the dual choice of conventional or thermal, commercial printers were faced with twice the choices. If you wanted CTP, you bought conventional or thermal and you bought plates that the system vendor said matched the platesetter. Things got more complicated earlier this year as plate manufacturers started their pre-DRUPA announcements and as DRUPA unwound in May. Many of the major plate vendors announced new plates; some introduced three, four or more new offerings. Some announced thermal plates that reduce, or remove, the processing steps. What's more,

The Great (Digital) Plate Debate
June 1, 2000

BY CHERYL A. ADAMS In the great digital plate debate, the stakes are high, competition is fierce and expert opinions are numerous . . . "Thermal is dead!" "Visible light will fade away!" "Polyester is taboo!" "Blue laser diode isn't a technological breakthrough, it's a setback!" "Anything but silverless UV CTP is economically unsound!" When the dust settles, which consumables (and related technologies) will be left standing? Which ones will not only survive, but thrive in a future where print will compete with other media channels and other digital printing options, such as distribute-and-print, and the Internet? As more commercial printers address the transition

Garlich Printing--Lights! Camera! CTP!
June 1, 2000

As a leader in computer-to-plate technologies, Garlich Printing was selected as the site of Creo's recent video shoot. Having wholeheartedly embraced CTP, Garlich is "airing" its expertise of the technology. BY CHERYL A. ADAMS Most employees are bound to get the "heebie-jeebies" when informed they are having their picture taken—be it for a magazine article, a company press release or even a self-promo brochure. Posing for a professional, corporate photograph is enough to make any worker nervous. But having a still picture taken isn't nearly as nerve-racking as having a film crew show up at your door. That's when you really start sweating bullets.

CTP vs. CTF -- The Debate Rages On
June 1, 2000

Of all the issues, and they are many, facing the graphic arts and printing industry today, none can ignite a heated debate more quickly than the issue of computer-to-plate (CTP) vs. computer-to-film (CTF) among their respective ardent supporters. In the past few years, as CTP became a reality with efficient, dependable and cost-effective equipment, increasing numbers of companies replaced aging imagesetters with platesetting devices. Why? Because many printers saw the new breed of CTP devices as an opportunity to springboard to a shorter production workflow without the added consumables and chemicals of film processing. Also, the new digital, CTP plates are more uniform, longer-wearing