CTP equipment, plate material must read

Like a traditional stencil, a CTP device is nothing more than a platemaking device. However, unlike ordinary stencil printers, CTP has CIP3/CIP4 open ports that can be interfaced with digital workflows to lay the foundation for enterprise standardization. However, in the face of numerous CTP technology types and brand types, users often lose themselves and thus stand still.

Here are some common sense you must know when purchasing a CTP device.

Choosing the right CTP technology based on their business type Many print professionals (especially small and medium-sized print business operators) lack comprehensive and systematic understanding of CTP technology, often with a lot of people, and unilaterally pursuing equipment with the latest technology, the fastest speed, and the highest accuracy. The result is: either blind investment, causing waste; or indecisive, missed the opportunity to print technology.

In fact, all types of CTPs currently have their own advantages and also have weak printing tools. Printing companies importing CTP technology and selecting CTP media should first be combined with the type of their own printing business (books, newspapers, commercial prints, etc.) and the needs of most customers (accuracy, speed, price, etc.), suitable for the best equipment. Consumables.

Comparison of indicators

(1) Speed. First you need to understand how fast you need to print equipment. In general, purple laser CTP and thermal CTP processing speeds are basically 30 to 40 sheets per hour.

Assuming that an offset press prints 30 sets a day, it will take about 5 plates per hour, which can be easily achieved for any CTP.

If the number of 4-color presses in the company is 3-5, the plate speed of the CTP should not be a problem. Therefore, for small and medium-sized printing companies, there is no need to consider the speed of platemaking that large companies and special companies (printers, etc.) need to consider.

However, companies should consider their own capacity upgrades in advance in order to prepare for an increase in the speed of future printing presses. Of course, from the perspective of stability and protection, many factories do not upgrade the CTP platemaking system after adding printing machines. Increasing the number of CTP devices, while increasing the CTP production capacity, also performed mutual backup of two machines.

(2) Accuracy. Commercial printing companies have high requirements for printing accuracy, but in terms of mainstream thermal CTP and violet laser CTP, the working distance characteristics and the quality of platemaking sites are of great merit. For the CTP and PS version, the plate making effect and the plate processing system are finally printed. The quality impact of the edition is also commented on each other, and there is no essential difference in quality.

(3) Consumables cost. The cost has always been a big problem for printing companies. In particular, the price of CTP plates is closely related to the production and operation costs, which is a concern for business operators.

Relative to the device, the price of the plate is more important. After all, the device is a one-time investment, and the plate is consumed on a daily basis, which affects the daily operating costs of the enterprise.

Currently, although the prices of various types of CTP plates are almost the same in the market, considering the differences in the manufacturing costs (production equipment investment, product yield, etc.) of plate suppliers, in theory, the future thermal plates will be better than Purple laser plate has a greater price reduction space.
For the supporters of the thermal plate, another major advantage is that domestic plate manufacturers have made breakthroughs in thermal plate technology, breaking the monopoly of foreign companies.

New products such as Lekai Dijiao, Sichuan Xintu, Keyin Modern, and Kangerda have matured their products. The domestic production of international brands such as Kodak and Agfa has increased the expectation of the decrease in plate prices, which is a great advantage for CTP users.