Plate preferences

Although only a quarter of UK printing companies have computer-to-plate equipment, the choice of printing plates and their suppliers remains one of the highlights of Ipex.

At present, three-quarters of UK printing companies have an interest in purchasing ctp devices. The ipex exhibition offers them a chance to select suppliers and use plate types.

Ctp media and traditional printing plates are very different in the way of imaging, so anyone who will make a decision to purchase ctp should be aware that their understanding of the value and concept of traditional printing plates has no meaning.

Far from standardization This is not only the problem of choosing an imaging device and then processing the plate. This is not only the decision to use the plate, and then the search for the appropriate platemaking machine. Because the current computer to plate making technology is still very non-standard.

Initially, silver salt plates could be used in all operations, but these plates need to be handled in darkroom conditions. Shortly afterwards, thermal became a more ideal choice. However, when the thermal plate technology became stable, the violet laser plate appeared. So what kind of media should be used for ctp technology?

The printing plate is a long-term use of consumables, and the choice of it directly determines the profit and cost of the company. So take a moment to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each product is particularly important. Agfa can provide a wide range of size silver halide, violet, thermal and polyester versions, so there is no particular preference for a particular product, and any printing company can choose. Ideal for companies that have a choice of directions.

Although Fujifilm Graphic Systems has also introduced violet laser printing plates, they have been leading the photopolymerization market. Kodak Polychrome Graphics Corporation is the first in the thermal market.

All manufacturers do their best to speak out the merits of each technology, but visitors can walk to each booth and combine these arguments. Soon you will find that there is no single advantage in any particular technology that has an absolute advantage, so that you can easily make a decision.

Some individuals who require hard-net sites, soft-sites, square-nodes, and phase changes can also be satisfied, but what an investigator really decides is how to add together all parts of a particular printing plate technology. Apply to his job requirements.

For example, a violet laser plate looks as if it is faster and cheaper than a thermal plate, but overall it has a much longer running cost than a thermal plate. Furthermore, the problems of print resistance, printing performance, wetting and emulsification tendencies of the violet laser version will be more.

The thermal plate is recognized by all users as having excellent fine dots, and the resolution of the printing plate is also very high. The shell is made of 谕ǔG  ㄒ 恢 恢  酢 酢 PG Mr. Steve Doyle, Head of Applications Technology, said: “The halftone dots on the thermal plate can be as durable as the best traditional imaging dots, because the thermal laser diodes used today have very high energy.”

Some companies advertise the violet laser plate as Holy Grail (Holy Grail). The laser diode used for exposing the plate is very inexpensive and has a wide range of areas. The printing speed of the plate is also very sloppy. Five plates are B1 plates, and the processing and silver halide Plates are similar.

The ROI data shows that violet laser technology is the most competitive. The plate is still in its infancy, but many suppliers offer it. Graham Leeson of Fuji Systems Graphics Systems said: “Our Brillia LP-NV digital plate was the first time we were involved in the violet laser plate, but we have applied the patented multi-particle technology to this plate so that it can be used on the press. Shows the highest quality.” As with silver halide plates, photopolymer plates have been around for many years, but the use of violet laser diodes for phase shifting requires a lot of energy, which means that one piece can match thermal and silver salts The technical ctp polymer plates have not yet been realized.

Silver halide plates are the most durable technology. Tony King, Agfa’s ctp product manager, said: “The choice of ctp equipment should be based on the performance the customer is looking for. On the premise of laser imaging, the silver salt plate has the ideal quality because the speed and contrast are both ideal. The land is matched, and the use of these plates has been proven through decades of proven technology. The process is simple and fast.”

Environmental issues are a frequently asked question for each technique. Many people believe that the thermal version has the strongest degree of trust. Maybe, but none of the developing chemicals will remain permanent, regardless of the beginning. The proponents of silver salt printing plates think that silver salt printing plates are the most cost-effective printing plates, and the recovery and reuse of silver components is also very easy to realize and the profits are very high.