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Fall 2004 |
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What You Need to Know About Computer-to-Plate Technology
Imagine this situation: You're with your boss on her first visit to your new folding carton supplier's plant. Everything's going great until you get to the printing department, where your job just went on press. That's when she comments: "Our logo on this packaging should be red, not black." Your stomach sinks. What would your supplier say? When Jan Steiner, President of a West Coast folding carton manufacturer and Independent Carton Group (ICG) member, faced this exact situation with a major new customer, she responded immediately: "No problem. We'll have new plates on the press by the end of the plant tour." Welcome to the world of computer-to-plate technology. The Basics of Computer-to-Plate Before computer-to-plate (CTP) technology, producing plates involved the use of films. The process started with digital or hard copy artwork. Packaging companies would first generate color separations (cyan, magenta, yellow and black versions of the artwork), which would be used to make films. Color separations were often produced by an outside firm, adding time and scheduling uncertainty. Once films were prepared, light was exposed through them to make an image on the photographic material on the surface of the plates. The end result was plates (one for each color) which were used on the printing press to transfer ink to a paper substrate. Computer-to-plate technology, in contrast, produces plates without the interim step of making films. Digital artwork files, after appropriate preparation, are sent directly to a digital platesetter, which produces plates directly from the digital file. No films required. Benefits of CTP for Packaging CTP technology offers a number of benefits in the production of folding carton and litho-laminate packaging. However, the extent of these benefits will vary depending on several factors. 
The most obvious benefit of CTP technology is faster turn-around times. Eliminating the need to produce films can reduce the time needed to make plates from one week to a few days—or, in extreme cases, to as little as an hour. "It used to take seven to ten days just to get proofs to customers," says Lisa Hirsh, President of an East Coast ICG member that produces litho-laminate packaging. "We used an outside firm to prepare color separations. If they were busy, you could add another day or two to the process." Three years ago, her firm bought one of the first Agfa format CTP system sold in North America. "It allowed us to bring the entire plate production process in-house. The time it takes to get a job on press dropped to two or three days, including getting word back on proofs from the customer." This is especially beneficial for customers who make frequent changes to package graphics and thus frequently require new plates. This faster turnaround time also allows packaging buyers to catch mistakes earlier in the process. "When we get a disc with artwork from a customer, we get them proofs the next day," comments Ms. Hirsh. "Before we had our CTP system, it would |
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