CTP--Still Testing the Waters
Anti-thermal?
Is Richards just anti-thermal? Not really. Just pro-caution. "I believe that the real benefits of thermal are yet to be realized," she states. "We would like to see a processless plate, better quality control tools at the RIP and some robust editing tools at the computer that drive the proof and plate."
What's holding thermal back? All together now: Consumables.
"The true availability of thermal printing plates and the flexibility of plate manufacturers to provide these plates must improve considerably for thermal CTP to be fully optimized," contends Scitex's Stan Najmr, product marketing manager chiefly responsible for the roll-out of the Scitex Lotem 800V thermal platesetter. "Thermal plate technology is still not where it needs to be; the industry needs more than just one or two vendors to rely on for availability of plates for full production capacities, far beyond just the testing stage."
Doug Richardson, product manager, thermal imaging, at Creo, holds out hope for the consumables front in the near future. "Progress is still possible in terms of more plates, less expensive plates and other thermal consumables possibilities," Richardson contends. "However, with respect to plates, today there are more thermal offerings than visible-light options."
As for thermal CTP delivering prepress utopia, the common theme tends to be that thermal CTP's true impact hinges on the real-time arrival of processless materials. Creo's Richardson finds this is a rather strange phenomenon.
"The combination of thermal CTP with today's plates offers more than conventional and visible-light platemaking methods," the thermal advocate argues. "With thermal, independent of the process control on-press, there are simple processors and pour-down-the-drain chemistry, as well as daylight handling.
Processless Plates
"Processless does reduce costs associated with maintaining a processor and the chemistry involved," Richardson continues. "However, this additional cost savings is small compared to the benefits already possible on-press."
