CTF is not environment friendly, CTP is always too expensive for now...

bouba

Member
has someone tried such a solution ?
The computer to film being very expensive. What do you think of using an epson sure color printer and "water resistant" films for inkjet printers to release Cyan magenta yellow black films? Isn't this a low cost and environmentally friendly solution instead of traditional imagesetting?
 
Bouba,
Although an inkjet printer may be able to produce c,m,y &k "films", the resolution is not going to be the same as ctf or ctp. Looking at the cost in use of inkjet vs. ctf, the comsummable costs may be close enough to continue with ctf. With ctp, there are many of reliable used / refurbished devices on the market today , making the entry cost @ 25-30% of the original cost. Combine that with no process plates at lower prices then before, ctp may be the best way to go.
 
Although an inkjet printer may be able to produce c,m,y &k "films", the resolution is not going to be the same as ctf or ctp. Looking at the cost in use of inkjet vs. ctf, the comsummable costs may be close enough to continue with ctf. With ctp, there are many of reliable used / refurbished devices on the market today , making the entry cost @ 25-30% of the original cost. Combine that with no process plates at lower prices then before, ctp may be the best way to go.
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Thanks Eric
Any advice for an exemple of an affordable ctp device ?
 
What you are asking about is definitely possible, please take a look at this thread:


What I heard is that the only serious limitation is the actual hardware resolution of the device used, which is 1440 dpi in case of an Epson engine. That means you can produce 133 lpi AM screened output; at higher screen settings some degradation might occur, eg, posterization.
 
What I heard is that the only serious limitation is the actual hardware resolution of the device used, which is 1440 dpi in case of an Epson engine. That means you can produce 133 lpi AM screened output; at higher screen settings some degradation might occur, eg, posterization.

1440 copies is NOT the resolution of an inkjet printer - it’s its address ability. It has no relationship with the lpi it may potentially deliver. The FM screening is also pretty simplistic for offset work and will likely deliver less than optimum performance.
Basic Postscript AM screening for these kinds of RIPs is also pretty basic. Their ability to produce moiré free 4/c screens is problematic.
Imaging geometry/fit between plates for 4/c work is also questionable.
Beware. Here abideth monsters.
 
A set of 4 GTO 52 CTCP Plates sells here 3-4 dollars max after imaging and processing. Its dirt cheap nowadays.
 
We use an Epson to print films for screenprinting. I wouldn't think of using it to produce films for plates. Having used an imagesetter for many years, I can tell you that "printing" film is much sharper than inkjet films. We used to use an imagesetter to produce films for screen printing as well as for plates, and we could sure see the quality go down once we made the switch to CTP and an inkjet for screen films.
 
Screen (Fuji, Agfa) PT-R machines in 4 up & 8 up sizes are all readily available as are Kodak Trendsetter, Magnus and Lotem devices.
Support and parts for any ctp device must be considered as a near end of life machine could be expensive to repair if needed as is the availability of service providers who are trained on the devices.
 
Low cost but also low quality, it´s not just the "roughness" of your dot on film you also have to contend with a very low density of ink on film which can lead to all kinds of problems on press.
As the others have said, a well serviced 2.nd hand CTP would be the better way.
 
1440 copies is NOT the resolution of an inkjet printer - it’s its address ability. It has no relationship with the lpi it may potentially deliver. The FM screening is also pretty simplistic for offset work and will likely deliver less than optimum performance.
Basic Postscript AM screening for these kinds of RIPs is also pretty basic. Their ability to produce moiré free 4/c screens is problematic.
Imaging geometry/fit between plates for 4/c work is also questionable.
Beware. Here abideth monsters.
The old inkjet smoke & mirrors trick, if I remember correctly claims of 1440dpi on a 4 colour inkjet is actually 360dpi x 4 colours. getting halftone dots onto film relies on some software trickery that won't deliver the desired results. Thermal and violet CTP have both been around for well over 20 years, there's plenty of secondhand imaging engines with plenty of life still left in them most of them capable of imaging at 2400 or 2540dpi
 
Thank you all for your advices.
Regarding space occupying and price, which second hand CTP do you advice for buying, please ?
Our largest offset press is Heidelberg SORM (54 cm x 72 cm), so we don't need for now a CTP that output more than this surface. Can this last info lead to a lower princing for acquiring a CTP ?
 
Thank you all for your advices.
Regarding space occupying and price, which second hand CTP do you advice for buying, please ?
Our largest offset press is Heidelberg SORM (54 cm x 72 cm), so we don't need for now a CTP that output more than this surface. Can this last info lead to a lower princing for acquiring a CTP ?
A Magnus 400 will expose the plate size you require. Ours has worked tirelessly for 12 years since we replaced our old Lotem 400
Get one with a multi cassette loader if you can.
 

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