CTCP plate is the English acronym of Computer To Conventional Plate, refers to the traditional PS version of the computer direct plate, as a form of CTP plate process, in fact, CTCP plate is not a CTP version of the second-best solution, but in order to complete the computer direct plate and derive another new road.

As early as drupa1995 International Printing Expo, the German Bespoke Printing (BasysPrint) company launched the first prototype of the UV-Setter plate making machine to show the application of UV light source on the traditional PS offset printing plate exposure of the new technology. This can be regarded as the birth of CTCP plate year, but also in this session of the drupa exhibition, CTP plate technology also debut in the world.

After more than a decade of development, computerized direct plate making technology has been perfected, CTP plate technology from the outer drum to the inner drum, from the silver salt, thermal to the purple laser, CTCP plate technology has been developed to the fourth generation, printing enterprises to invest in computerized direct plate has not been too much worry about the technology and applicability, and more considerations lie in how to recover the investment cost faster. If in order to enjoy the benefits of computerized direct-to-plate technology, while minimizing the pressure of investment, perhaps in addition to CTP plates, you can also consider CTCP plates.

The same advantages as CTP plates:

CTCP plates, as one of the key technologies of computer to plate making, have all the advantages that computer to plate making technology brings.

1. Improved print quality

The use of computerized direct plate making instead of film plate making, due to the non-use of film, the print quality of the printed matter has been significantly improved, because the image and dots are not subject to those quality attenuation in the traditional pre-press process. Output of the plate, better quality, because the film on the dust, scratches and other influences no longer exist, dot edges clean and sharp, faithful to the original.

2. No need to repair the dirty, bringing increased efficiency

Similarly, due to the absence of the above dust, scratches, so the output of the printing plate is very clean, especially the naked eye is not easy to detect, but on the machine can be found after the small dirty spots. No need to repair the dirty, so that the plate shop, especially the printing press work efficiency has increased dramatically, which is most obvious for short-run printing jobs, printing time is often shortened by half or even more.

3. Reduce printing debugging time and material loss

Because there is no need for printing plate positioning, so the quality of the printing plate is better, and will not be positioned inaccurately and need to re-make the plate, to avoid spending a lot of time on the printing machine calibration plate. With more and more short-run jobs in the whole printing industry, plate changing and on-machine debugging have become regular tasks, reducing printing debugging time can significantly save time and costs. It also reduces the waste of water, paper, ink and other consumables needed for on-machine debugging.

4. Printing customers are more satisfied

Printing customers are more satisfied with the quality of printed materials, printing production time is shorter, which means that delivery is more timely, reducing the cost of factory operations, so that printing companies in the fierce competition in the market to take the lead.

Advantages over CTP Plates:

The CTCP plate, a computer-to-plate solution that is more based on the existing printing conditions for transformation, has more advantages than the CTP plate.

1. PS plates can be used

Although the CTP plate after many years of mass production, the price has been a considerable decline, but still can not be reduced to the price level of PS plate, and CTCP plate making in the plate material is cheap conventional printing plate, is now the process of using the general PS plate. In fact, it is more important to note that, because of the use of PS plates, printing companies in the inventory of plates, operator training, as well as flushing sets of drugs are able to maintain the previous state, without the need to re-invest, so the subsequent maintenance costs are quite low.

2. Light source more durable

In the printing business previously done in a CTP plate survey, more than 60% of the respondents believe that the CTP plate in the use of the largest cost is the laser head, not only the use of a shorter period of time, the cost of replacing a laser head is also quite high.

For CTCP plate, due to the use of cheap and durable lamps, the maximum annual consumption of roughly 10,000 dollars, and CTP plate laser head annual consumption of 15,000 dollars / year is quite cost-effective. And it is understood that the new generation of CTCP plate will use LED replacement lamp, so that its service life is theoretically unlimited.

3. Simple operation

Can be operated in a bright indoor environment, can easily sun various specifications of the size of the plate, without changing the current hardware configuration.
CTCP plates can be utilized in 1bit/tiff format and can utilize RIP data, can use conventional developers and chemicals for processing, do not need to use a special network, can be networked with the existing network environment.

Printing companies that have done specialized trials tell us that, first of all, the imaging quality and CTP plates compared to no difference, and secondly, the use of computerized direct plate making is designed to achieve a reasonable quality improvement interval, whether it is a CTP plate or CTCP plate, have reached this interval.

And for many printing companies “one step to” the idea that perhaps the CTP plate to assume more of an image of the role of endorsement, if the same printing quality and efficiency but with different operating costs, how would you choose?