Pre-Press - Computer-to-plate

BY MARK SMITH Maybe the time has come to start an industry support group. "Hello. My name is Tom, and my print shop has yet to install a computer-to-plate system." Actually, a large number of U.S. printing companies are still making plates conventionally. There are perfectly valid reasons for not having made the move to CTP-based production, but probably not since high school have printing managers felt so pressured by the notion that "everyone is doing it." With some fits and starts, CTP has gone mainstream faster than many predicted. Today's buyers include shops on their second or third generation of technology, along with

BY MARK SMITH Printing is one of the few places where eight is a magic number. Even the once standard eight-hour day for many has become an artifact of a simpler time. Eight-page production, however, continues to be the standard of comparison for most facets of the printing process. For a time it seemed to be the de facto size for computer-to-plate (CTP) solutions. Eight may indeed be enough, but it also can be too little or too much. Two-up platesetters actually helped pioneer the direct-to workflow and technology, albeit using paper and polyester plates. Small-format metal systems have been a more recent

Computer-to-Plate Has Positive Effect NEW YORK CITY—TrendWatch Graphic Arts has released its first report focused exclusively on direct-to-plate technologies. According to the market report, the once doubtful commercial printer community has overwhelmingly begun to embrace and benefit from the now decade-old technology. Among the survey findings cited as supporting this conclusion are: * 39 percent of all print businesses perceive direct-to-plate as having a positive effect in their operations. * 55 percent of sheetfed offset press shops perceive direct-to-plate as having a positive impact on their business. * An additional 17 percent of sheetfed press shops plan to start using digital plates, while

PITTSBURGH—Do film-based plates require fewer remakes than digital plates? A survey of 29 companies conducted by the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (GATF) and the National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL) produced some interesting results. Participants were asked to choose from a list of likely causes of plate remakes and record them for 30 consecutive days. In all, data was recorded on roughly 55,100 plates (42,600 digital and 12,500 film-based). The leading remake causes for film-based plates were plate wear (17.7 percent), voids (8.1), register (6.6), plates not stored (6.2) and changed press (5.5). For digital plates, the top causes were plates damaged on-press (9.1

BY MARK SMITH Advancing the capabilities of computer-to-plate (CTP) systems requires plate and platesetter manufacturers to perform a tricky little digital two-step. The pair's timing has to be just right since each half of the CTP solution is useless without the other. While the platesetter may represent a much larger initial investment, the plate really does the leading because of its broader impact on the success of a CTP implementation. As a whole, the printing industry hasn't been content to just dance with the ones (technologies) that brought it to the party. Thermal imaging barely had its coming out before people were looking ahead

BY BOB PELLEGRINO FCB is the key to success for today's printing companies. What is FCB? Keep on reading. Ever since 1984, when the first Macintosh was introduced, the printing industry has been in a state of digital upheaval. Slow to the acceptance of this new technology, many companies reluctantly spent money on computers in an attempt to sustain their business. This bitter-sweet relationship is evident once again today and we call it computer-to-plate (CTP). In an industry where changing technology has become the norm, it is still with reluctance that many printers even consider CTP. Perhaps it's the fear of the unknown or maybe

BY MARK SMITH A consensus of opinion seems to have been reached about why to adopt a computer-to-plate workflow. At least in some quarters, though, the same cannot be said for the question of how to implement one. Or more precisely, which combination of plate and platesetter is the best solution. New product introductions continue to fuel the thermal versus violet imaging debate. The recent IPEX international printing expo also brought a new player (Esko-Graphics, the newly named combination of Purup-Eskofot and Barco Graphics) to the arena of digitally imaging conventional ultraviolet plates. Processless technology continues be developed along ablative, phase-change and other tracks.

BY MARK SMITH A first-time buyer recently posted a message on the CTP Production forum seeking recommendations for "CTP systems" to investigate. The quote marks are important because the term itself sparked a divergent thread in which the question of what CTP means was explored. This discussion started with a response suggesting the buyer consider the Rampage solution, since it produces plate-ready files. A rebuff quickly followed, asserting that Rampage was not a "system," meaning a piece of hardware capable of writing an image to a digital plate. That, in turn, led to a series of exchanges about whether CTP refers to any

BY MARK SMITH Adopting a computer-to-plate (CTP) workflow is as much about buying into a technology and process as it is purchasing products. Visible laser systems can lay claim to having created the product segment. However, it really took the introduction of thermal technology for CTP to gain mainstream acceptance, at least in the North American market. Now violet systems are causing a stir and generating a bit of controversy. More on that later. While product offerings continue to grow, key decisions made by CTP buyers early on still can dictate their subsequent product options. Typically this process begins with the selection of

Exploring Digital Options BARCELONA, SPAIN—As part of its ongoing efforts to provide educational resources to the graphic arts community, Agfa-Gevaert N.V. hosted an international press forum here recently on digital technology options. Digital proofing and computer-to-film (CTF) or -plate (CTP) workflows were the primary topics of discussion. Digital color proofing is one of the hottest areas of interest among Agfa customers, reports Willy Van Dromme, international marketing manager for digital proofing. It's still seen as the missing link in the all-digital workflow, he says, and there is considerable confusion about the technologies and their applications. The halftone dot/no-dot debate is one source of confusion, Van Dromme