A technology that allows for the delivery of digital data directly to a plate for printing. CTP efficiency eliminates conventional films and stripping to significantly reduce prepress materials and costs, and allow for significant productivity benefits over other commercial printing solutions.
Computer-to-Plate or CTP describes a system in which the use of desktop publishing software, electronic prepress workstations, and platesetters allows the imaging of metal plates for any format of press without the use of film, stripping or traditional platemaking. This process results in lower costs while shortening the amount of time needed to get a job on the press.
A process by which data from the computer is imaged directly onto the printing plate without using film as a transference medium, thus reducing costs, though the printing foils used in this process wear out faster than conventional printing plates. Depending on the process, in addition the foils cannot always be stored once they have been printed. New materials that use thermal energy instead of visible light for imaging have made it possible to process film in daylight conditions and to develop film without using chemicals.
A technology that enables a plate to be directly imaged from the computer instead of using the conventional film plate to expose the image to the plate
A system where printing plates are generated directly from a computer file. In traditional DESKTOP PUBLISHING, a computer file is printed to an IMAGESETTER to produce sets of photographic film, which are used to make printing plates. In CTP, a device called a PLATESETTER is used to create the printing plates directly from the computer. In a CTP workflow, PROOFS must be generated digitally; in traditional workflows, the proofs are made from the film before the film is used to create the plates.
A technology that allows for the delivery of digital data directly to a platemaking machine. CTP saves significant time and cost in the printing process
The production of plates directly from the ripped electronic file, whereby the plate receives the first generation of elliptical dots. This negates the need for film output. The benefits of CTP plate production include better contrast, resolution and faster registration at press. CTP technology has allowed BOPI to offer FM Screening equivalent to approximately 325-line screen. BOPI's standard elliptical dot line screen output is 200-line screen, which is above the industry standard.
