Questions about the Mako News and other newspaper CtP

I'm the supervisor of the pressroom as well as the mailroom here Tracy Ca. The publisher told me that I’m the one that’s going to make the decision on what CtP we’re going to get, as I’m the one that will have to print what comes out of the box. As with all newspaper publishers money is the most important factor. I’m new to the CtF as well as CtP so be kind with the terms, as I may not understand some of the terms you use. I’m ready to learn but if I don’t understand what you’re talking about then I’ll be even more lost.

We’re CtF imaging out to a Lino 860 on a 30” roll through the G&J 860 processor. Front end is Harlequin 5.1.1. The Lino will image about 24 negs an hr as we in the pressroom can keep up the negs to plate so 20 to 24 pph is very important.

We’re a newspaper printing on a 12 unit Goss Community with two 4 highs. Most of our runs are less than 25/K we normally max out the color webs. All photos (B/W & 4 color) are imaged out at 85 line. With the new CtP we’ll bump the 4 color up to 100+ line something we use to run years ago. Graphics made the decision to go all 85 as its easer on them.

Very soon we’ll be moving to another location with another press same as what we have now, we’ll move the two 4 high to the new site so we’ll be able to add more color pages with 4- 4 highs.

Enough about me on to what we’re looking at

The first offer we have is an ECRM Mako News CtP (up to 36 pph) with the Raptor 68/85P using the Fuji LPNNV Violet plate 23 1/16 X 35 X 8 gage.

What I'm looking for is feedback on this unit as well as others units designed for newspapers.

Can you tell me anything about this unit as well as others that we should be looking at that the sales people didn't? You know what they say about sales people, how can you tell that there lying, there mouth is moving?

How long have you had the unit?

How many plates do you image a month. We go through about 1,100 plates a month with the two additional 4 highs we use an additional 500 month.

Service to the unit either by yourself or ECRM what’s to be expected. Part of the package is the service agreement on both the box and G&J.

Required maintenance and what really needs to be performed.

What programs did you get with the box and what programs should you have gotten?

If you want to add more than I’ve asked for by my guest.

The more I know the better I’ll be to make an informed decision.


John
 
Re: Questions about the Mako News and other newspaper CtP

John -

My mouth isn't moving, but my fingers are - so I don't
know if you'll discount my thoughts or not. (smile)

As you evaluate options, check out Agfa's Advantage
system. Agfa is the market leader in CTP devices and
plates for newspapers. And, although you may not be
ready for a new workflow, our Arkitex system is used in
all sizes of plants, largest to smaller - even like Tracy.
We have a manual feed Advantage if automation is
overkill for you.

Regards from a Fresno native,

Steve Musselman
Agfa Graphics
 
Re: Questions about the Mako News and other newspaper CtP

The ECRM line is designed exactly for a newspaper of your size.
You are going to want to look at the whole workflow.
New Rip, Page manager, CTP device and plate processor.

I just finished a evaluation project that looked at all the current lines that are avalible.
We had a number of team members who came away from ECRM very impressed with the simplicity of the design.


If you have not done so already make a site visit to a newspaper who is running what you are looking at.

If you want send me a email and we can talk in detail.
 
Re: Questions about the Mako News and other newspaper CtP

The device is a small part of the total workflow. I would recommend that you review your current workflow process to determine what would best fit how you work now. Where can you find cost savings? Do you have the right people for a new system? Is IT 100% ready for this process? Are they part of the solution?

Many of the sales reps for CTP devices promote the cost of the CTP and only discuss the workflow AFTER they have you ready to sign. Make sure they are getting you REAL cost for a workflow prepress system not just CTP devices.

Some vendors to consider. Konica, AlfaQuest, and AFGA are a good places to start. I would also like to note another company , Fusion Systems. You can find them on the net. They work with Harlequin RIPs (my opinion, the standard) and run on Apple OSX. Very solid hardware and OS. If you haven't considered OSX before, it is time you did.

Regardless of what you get, make sure EVERYTHING is included in the budget. Additional software features they promote may not seem like you will need but I would make sure of that before turning them down.

Matt
 
Re: Questions about the Mako News and other newspaper CtP

We have Just Purchased the Trendsetter News with The Evo workflow.
We use konica Plates with an oven and plate processor by GJ. we produce 71 plates an hour.

Would recommend it to anyone.
 
Chase Fantastic, I hope all is still going well out there, and should you need anything feel free to contact me anytime you wish.
 
CTP system

CTP system

Wilson,
Keen to know whether decision has been made. Good if you would share the reasons why you chose what you did, etc. Did you opt for violet plates or thermal?

We will also be setting up two Goss lines of 12 units each and are currently evaluating our CTP needs. Our print run varies from 9,000 to 35,000 copies each time and we average about 2,400 plates a month.
 
Andy Ng - Violet would suit your location very well in my opinion, and would be a perfect fit for an ECRM Newsmatic SSR 250, G&J Raptor 68 Polymer Processor. Workflow depends on your needs, however if you happen to be in my Region I would love to talk to you about this, if not I am sure I can get you in contact with one of our many sales personell.

My Region covers ND, SD, MN, IA, WI, IL, and MO.
 

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