Four Elements to Pay Attention to when Buying CTP

I. What benefits does CTP platemaking bring to print companies?

1. Improve the precision and quality of plate making: CTP uses computer-controlled laser to expose the plate, so the size and position of the dots can be precisely controlled, greatly improving plate-making accuracy and resolution. At the same time, due to direct exposure, the layout is very clean, without any dirt spots and strip marks, further improving the quality of the plate.

Since conventional CTP devices use the CTP version and CTcP (and UV-CTP, CTdP, etc.) use the traditional PS or UV-CTP version, the performance of these two types of media and the performance of the used plate processing equipment are exposed. The impact of quality is also a matter of concern for many printing plants. However, this problem is relatively complex, and is closely related to many factors such as the brand, model number, performance of the plate processing machine, printing operation habits, etc., which are specifically used by the printing industry. Specific analysis is required to obtain specific conclusions.

2. Improve production efficiency: On the one hand, the fold can be calculated by software, and the printing plate can be directly calculated during exposure, which saves time, and also eliminates the rework caused by manual make-up mistakes; on the other hand, the computer Plates obtained by direct plate making, with respect to manual imposition, the alignment accuracy of the four-color plate

It is greatly improved. Therefore, the number of over-wheel papers required for adjusting and registering after printing on the machine is very small, which can greatly shorten the overprint preparation time and also save costs. These are more advantageous than traditional platemaking for any kind of CTP and CTcP.

The comparison between the CTP version and the conventional PS version or the UV-CTP version is also a subject of constant debate. The influence of this factor on the number of overprinting papers is related to the influence of the four-color printing plate alignment accuracy on the overprinting papers. Which one is greater is also the wisdom of the beholder, which is closely related to the brand and model of the plate. .

3. Close to or lower than the operating cost of the traditional printing process: In addition to the aforementioned cost-saving reasons, due to the continuous decrease in the cost of consumables such as plates, the CTP's normal operating costs are now close to or below. The overall cost of a traditional film printing process.

If CTcP (as well as UV-CTP, CTdP, etc.) is used, the cost is greatly reduced, it is not a sentence can be summarized, which with the process selection, model performance, equipment prices, plate material brand, plate material model, version Machine performance, factory conditions, job features, handling habits, and management systems are all factors.

Second, commercial, publishing and packaging CTP equipment competition

1. Thermal type: It is the most used CTP system in the field of commercial and packaging printing. It is also used in newspapers. The characteristics are high precision and mature technology. The system requires the use of a dedicated thermal CTP plate. There are a variety of domestic and foreign branded products to choose from on the market. Equipment price (including process software with basic configuration): Foreign brand models vary by model, configuration, software plug-in, etc. The price is between 900,000 and 1.5 million yuan, and even higher; domestic models are between 500,000 and 900,000 yuan. Wait.

Plate material price: foreign brands in about 50 yuan / square meter, rinse syrup equivalent plate price 0.5 ~ 2 yuan / square meter, with the characteristics of various manufacturers of products.

2. Purple laser type: It is used in newspapers, commercial and packaging fields. Features are fast exposure and high quality. Using a dedicated violet laser CTP plate, there are fewer manufacturers of such plates on the market than thermal CTP plates, but there are also many options.

Equipment price (including process software with basic configuration): The price of foreign brands is about 1.5 million yuan, even higher, with different models and hardware configurations; domestic models have a very high cost performance, especially the big brands Product, performance is very stable.

Plate price: slightly more expensive than the thermal plate.

3. CTcP, UV-CTP, CTdP: This type of machine uses a UV light source or UV laser that can make the traditional PS and UV-CTP plates sensitive. If only the plate materials used are compared, the direct costs of the plates for PS and UV-CTP will definitely be lower than those of the CTP plates. The original PS plate processor of the printing factory may need to be upgraded and replaced to ensure the quality of the plate.

Nowadays, many plate manufacturers specialize in the production of special-purpose plates (UV-CTP plates) for such systems. They mainly adjust the photosensitivity of the plates, remove the stencil spray treatment, and improve the ink affinity of the plates. The effect of plate printing has a lot to do with the specific brand and model of the plate, and the printing habits of the printing plant. The price of this kind of plate is close to the ordinary PS version.

This kind of plate making equipment is much more expensive than the other same grade models introduced in the previous section. The models of foreign brands are about 1.6 million yuan or more depending on the configuration, and the domestic models are also about 1 million.

Third, what is the CTP system

Although various types of CTP systems have different principles, they are composed of the following components.

1. CTP platesetter: Exposure equipment for plates.

2. Auxiliary equipment such as process flow, related software, various screening technologies, and digital proofing systems: software processing and screening processing of graphic documents to be printed; using workflow to control platemaking machines, digital inkjet proofing machines, etc. Output equipment and transmit CIP information; digital inkjet proofing system, used to print digital samples for customers to sign and proofreading, generally print factory can purchase.

3. CTP processing equipment: the general plate material needs development and cleaning before it can be used. CTP has higher requirements on the processing equipment than the traditional printing method. The main requirement is that the volume of the development cylinder is large to ensure the stability of the syrup. In addition, the temperature control requirements for the syrup are more stringent because the temperature and the developer concentration affect the dot size after development.

4. Automatically uploading system and connecting device of CTP machine and receiving device: This type of device can improve work efficiency and reduce the labor intensity of workers. For economic printing plants, they can be omitted, or they can be purchased separately as needed. Such automated devices are indispensable for large-scale printers and newspapers and other efficient printers.

Fourth, consider choosing the right CTP system

1. Considered from the system's platemaking quality: The quality of plate-making outlets for thermal, violet laser, C Tc P (UV-CTP, CTdP) has always been the focus of controversy. For CTP and PS version body plate making effect, blunt version The system also commented on the quality of the final printing plate. The characteristics of different workflows, the use of multiple network technologies, and the application of frequency-modulation network technology are different for each manufacturer. For the printing factory, objective evaluation and appropriate comparison are very necessary. Choosing the system that is suitable for their own job characteristics, which is neither wasteful nor expansive, must be considered when everyone chooses.

2. From the system's capacity to consider: According to their own printing equipment capacity to choose the speed of the plate making machine. The speed of the plate making machine is generally divided into 10 pieces/hour, 20 pieces/hour or so, 30 pieces/hour or so, and a higher-speed model depending on the model and configuration. The faster the machine speed, the higher the price. Generally, one or two printers can choose a machine with 10 to 20 sheets/hour. Such a machine can print 90 to 200 sheets of off-press printing plates every day according to 10 hours, equivalent to 20 to 50 sheets.

3. Considering the upgrade of production capacity: Considering the speed of plate-making, the equipment is expected to have the potential of speed increase in order to increase the speed of the later printing presses; of course, from the perspective of stability and security, many factories After adding presses, instead of upgrading the CTP platemaking system, we will increase the number of CTP equipment. While increasing the CTP production capacity, we will also carry out mutual backup of two machines.

4. Considering the actual operating cost: On the one hand, the number of equipments that are put in one operation is generally considered more by the printing factory, although many manufacturers can now purchase the machines through financing. On the other hand, investment in operating costs is long-term, so consideration of related products and consumables is also indispensable.

5. Considered from the degree of automation: If the daily platemaking volume is not very large, the automatic plate loading and connection of the bridge device can be omitted. Of course, this completely depends on the printing plant's understanding of the staffing and work arrangement of the plate making process. This part of the equipment It can also be added later.