CTP Plate Making Technology (I)

Rupa is the largest market in the world to display new equipment and technologies for printing. Some famous international printing equipment manufacturers use Drupa to display their strength. Visitors to Drupa can not only feast their eyes, but also see a wide range of prepress, printing, and postpress processing equipment. Through the presentations and listening presentations, they learn about the development trend of new printing technologies. The author visited Drupa2000 and talked about the perception of the direct plate making of the CTP (computerto plate).
I. Rapid development of CTP According to historical records, Drupa 95 has 23 manufacturers and 43 types of CTP equipment. Five years later, Drupa2000 has 69 companies exhibiting nearly 100 varieties of CTP equipment (without digital printing and digital proofing). Not only has there been a significant increase in the number of varieties, models, and more, and CTP equipment has a high technological content, a high degree of automation, high precision machining equipment, CTP process, color management, CopyDot, etc. Well resolved. So far, more than 5,000 CTPs have been put into use in the world, and CTPs have seen a large increase in the last two years. These all indicate that CTPs have matured and developed rapidly and healthily.
Second, Drupa2000 CTP re-exhibition style in Drupa95, CTP as the latest technology has become the theme of the exhibition, causing the printing industry's attention. The feathers of Drupa2000CTP are full and colorful and are displayed in front of the audience. There are a total of 18 exhibition halls and 14 exhibition halls to display CTP equipment and technology. CTP is still one of the themes of this year's convention and exhibition, but the difference is five years later. The CTP has matured and the exhibits are richer and more exciting.
From the processing methods of CTP, there are on-machine CTP systems and off-line CTP systems, both of which have great development. For example, in the machine CTP, a few years ago, the GTO-DI direct imaging machine in Heidelberg was unveiled. At the Drupa 2000 exhibition, there were 17 exhibitors at the same time. For example, Karat developed the Karat four-color direct imaging printing in cooperation with Sai Angel. Machine, applying PressTek DI technology; TruePress 544, 744 digital printing machine exhibited at Dainippon Screen, using polyester plate automatic imaging processing technology. The Czech Adast four-color multi-color offset press, which is familiar to the domestic printing industry, has also prepared the PressTek DI technology and exhibited the Adast 557DI, Adast 705cDI direct-imaging press. Other companies include Akiyama J Print DI and Sakurai 01iver 474EP II DI.
Divided from the CTP model, there are manual single-type, semi-automatic, fully automatic and hybrid (it can output CTP version, but also as a laser photosetter output film).
Divided from the structure of the CTP exposure system, there are differences between the inner drum type, the outer drum type, and the flat table type.
From the CTP to use the plate to the points; CTP plate base, there is a metal plate base, a polyester plate base; from the CTP plate material photosensitive characteristics, there is a silver salt diffusion type CTP plate, thermal type CTP plate (there is a thermal plate Thermal Ablated Waterless Plates and Common Thermal Plates) and Photosensitive CTP Plates (CTP Plates with Laser Photoresist, UV-Plastic Type, Ordinary PS Plate).
Divide from the output light source of CTP: The wavelength of the light wave of the light source should match the photographic performance of the plate. There are two types of laser and UV light. The laser source is an argon ion laser with a wavelength of 488 nm; the diode violet laser wavelength is between 400 nm and 410 nm; the yttrium aluminum garnet laser has a wavelength of 532 nm and 1064 nm (for thermal ablation); the infrared semiconductor laser wavelength is 830 nm (for thermal imaging ); UV light source used in the production of ordinary PS version CTP. The UV-Setter series CTPs launched by the Baldwin, Denmark, and the UV-Setter series, launched by Basysk-Print, are of great interest and are groundbreaking new technologies. The wavelength of UV light is between 360nm and 450nm.
From the appearance of CTP equipment, it is even more colorful. For example: Barking's VIKING, Luscher-Xpose, Dior's Dicon, Basys-Print's UV-Setter 710, Luxel's T-6000CTP, Presstek's Dimension 800, and Fuji's Luxel P-9600 CTP.
In terms of the scope of use of CTP, in addition to CTP for flat printing, flexo CTP direct platemaking, gravure CTP direct plate making, has begun to use.
Third, the CTP workflow has been included in the CTP system With the development of digital technology, prepress, printing, printing and processing integration has become an inevitable trend. At Drupa 2000, prepress companies such as Agfa, Clio Seychelles, Heidelberg, and Boilerford used the CTP workflow as an important part of the CTP system. The Adobe PDF files were imported separately to simulate the CTP production environment. According to the needs of different user objects, various open CTP process plans were proposed.
Fourth, COPYDOT Scanner CopyDot scanner is an essential equipment for the current CTP system. This is due to the objective existing traditional color separation filmmaking, when the film needs to be input as a manuscript, it must pass the CopyDot scanner to digitalize the graphic of the film, and then processing by the computer to print the CTP plate . Therefore, CopyDot scanners have come with the development and development of CTP. Dainippon Screen, Agfa, and Heidelberg have all launched CopyDot software and equipment. But it was the first to invent the CopyDot flatbed scanner, which is still in the leading position of Purop-Eskofot in Denmark. (To be continued)