Hi RBA,
Very few people will give you an independent view of what you might consider and even fewer (if any) people will have tested or had experience of a wide range of CtP devices and plates. I have.
What one would recommend will also depend on your requirements. So it's not really practical to write something that covers everything - it would be even longer... For example, someone who just wants to print 'club leaflets' doesn't need the same quality as someone who wants to print magazines, etc...
It also depends on your circumstances. If you have a dark room, then putting in a violet CtP device is easier than if you don't. If you already source from a certain supplier and have a good relationship with them, then just considering what they have can be a sensible thing to do.
My aim in life is always to be the best I can and do the best I can. So quality matters. If I were a printer, my aim would be to produce prints that are so good, that people don't give them a second thought; that is the print conveys the message and the print quality is so good that it's effectively ignored.
Given that, here's my take for what it's worth (based on having actually tested all these devices and plates in the last two years, including analysing the dot gain, dot quality (hilite and shadow), dot wear, etc... - yes really):
You say you want a CtP device, but then also mention PDF Print Engine, meaning you're also looking at a RIP / workflow.
Four things you need to look into:
1. RIP / Workflow.
2. CtP device.
3. Plates.
4. Lockins.
1. RIP / Workflow.
Here you need to work out what you want to do - print PS, print PDF, Trap, Impose, etc... - and take that to the various vendors to see if what they have fits. You can either buy a workflow from one of the big boys (which usually comes with a nice price tag), or build it yourself. If you're a small shop with a few employees, I think it's best to just get a RIP (assuming it does all you want). You don't really need a full blown workflow with MIS integration, JDF, etc...
APPE has been hyped by Adobe as much as PS used to be, so I'd ignore the hype and look at both Adobe solutions and Harlequin solutions. Those two are the best / standard. You can go elsewhere, which is typically cheaper, but you'll also find other products are not so fast (and I've tested some).
With Adobe you get either native PDF (APPE) or native PS (CPSI). With Harlequin you get native PDF & PS. Personally, I think Adobe made a mistake here and Hqn got it right. Although most jobs are PDF, not all are, so being able to natively process both is better. I know of companies that are not upgrading to APPE from CPSI because they still want to process PS, but if all you process is PDF, then that doesn't really matter. I'd certainly consider either (Adobe or Hqn).
Any workflow from Kodak, Agfa, FFEI, Heidelberg, Xitron, Compose, etc... should be fine. None of these are bad workflows, they just differ in price and functionality. If you're just buying a RIP, then you have an even wider choice.
2. CtP device.
Main thing here to my mind is to have a good supplier who will look after you; that is assuming you're purchasing a good device, which most are these days. You have a choice of thermal or violet CtP, which to my mind are both better than UV (due to the plate quality being higher - but I have not tested the latest Agfa UV plates which are rated quite highly, so that might change my opinion).
On the thermal side, the best devices are Screen. Lots of people re-badge them, so your Agfa device, Heidelberg device, FFEI device, etc... is probably a Screen. So you can purchase that from Agfa, Screen, and various other companies.
I've also seen very good results with Quantum, Lotem, Trendsetters and Magnus, etc... so nothing wrong with them.
Regarding Creo Square Spot, I think that in general it actually doesn't help screening (was used to reduce deficiencies in FM (first and second order) screening algorithms / plates and to gain marketing advantage), but that's another long detailed explanation, so will leave out.
[Having said that, the best newspaper CtP device I've tested is a Kodak News Generation IV with Square Spot using Kodak News Gold plates - awesome dot on plate that just refuses to wear.]
On the violet side, the best devices are FFEI Alinte, Dotline, Highwater Python / Cobra, ECRM Mako 200/400/800 and similar, as they all have very good optics. Which of these you go for depends on budget, space (some of these devices are really compact), supply and as I said service.
The other thing to consider is that for violet you will need a 'yellow room', which might tilt which way you go.
On the thermal side, chem plates are higher quality than processless plates. On the violet side, low-chem plates are higher quality than chem plates. So for thermal I'd go for chem plates but on violet I'd for low-chem plates, but that depends on the level of quality you want of course.
And of course there's automation - semi-automatic plate loading or automatic plate loading. Both come at a price, but if you have the money or require high throughput I'd consider that too - I like the cruise control on my little run-around, but then it didn't cost too much...
The latest high-end violet devices with the latest high-end violet plates come pretty close to the quality level of thermal devices with thermal plates, so if you want top quality, don't worry about violet vs thermal (as long as you get a high-end violet device and plate). If you want to print 300+ lpi AM (*) or 10 micron FM (**) then you have no choice but to go to thermal.
(*) Personally, I'd not go for 300+ lpi, as you can get far superior results with other technology, but that's another discussion entirely.
(**) Personally, I'd not got for 10 micron FM, as not only is it very demanding, but you can also get as good a result (to the naked eye) with other technology, but that's another discussion entirely.
I've also not mentioned the cost of replacing components, such as optics, which are typically much higher on a thermal device than a violet device. So check this out carefully.
3. Plate side.
On the thermal side you have a lot of choice of plates, as most are rated at 200+ lpi (apart from waterless plates which are rated lower - 175). Kodak plates are good, as are Agfa, Fuji and various others. If you're just doing 200 lpi, then you don't need to worry too much about which plates, so go for price and availability. If you're interested in specifics, I have tested dozens of plates from different manufacturers, so know a lot there.
Ironically, higher spec thermal plates can sometime show up issues on a thermal device, such as the head not aligned parallel to the drum, or the array of optics not exposing an equal dot, etc... (due to being 'too accurate' - a lower spec plate often produces a not so accurate dot which can hide such issues). So in this case, if all you want is 200 lpi screening, then don't necesarily go for a very high spec plate.
On the violet side, there are two plates I'd go with. Fuji ProV, which are the best, or Agfa AzuraV (not far behind though) - both of these will pretty closely match thermal plates for quality (unless you want 300+ lpi AM screening or 10 micron FM screening). Both are low-chem, which is good. Lots of other plates are good (Fuji NV, Fuji NV2, S'Litho, IBF Million, Agfa N92, Technova Viostar,...) - fine if all you want to do is 175 lpi, with lots of printers pushing them to 200 lpi - but they're not as good as the ProV/AzuraV.
There are some plates I'd steer well clear of - but I'm not going to post what they are.
I'd also check where the plates are made. I've been told a lot by various companies around the world about issues when sourcing from certain places, as well as first hand experience.
And then there's availability - make sure you can get a reliable supply - and of course price.
There's a lot more I know, but can't disclose due to NDAs, such as some new plates that are coming out, or upgrades to existing plates that improve them a lot (and I won't disclose off-line either), but if you're talking to a manufacturer, ask them if they have anything in the pipeline that's coming out, either in the short or medium term.
4. Lockins.
Beware of what some companies offer. A lot of workflows that claim to be open are not. By open, some mean that you can input PDF / PS. By open, some mean that you can import TIFF, but it'll cost you eight grand as it's an option. By open, some mean that you can add any CtP device, but only certain ones are really supported.
So check very carefully as to what you are buying into and what you might want to do in the future. You might find that what is offered now fits perfectly, but later on when you want to add something, you either can't, or it'll cost you a packet.
You'll also find that if you want to try adding a module from another company, some suppliers will help you, but some won't at all. So again think of what you might want to do in the future.
Hope that helps. It's all quite general. There are a lot more CtP devices and plates I've tested, evaluated or compared, but I think that this post is long enough - I've not even mentioned inkjet 'ctp' (ala G&J), polyester ctp (ala DPX), laser ctp, etc... which I also know quite a lot about, but doing so would be too much.
With more information on what you want, I can offer a lot more specific and detailed advice (but it would have to be offline), so that will do for now.
Regards,
Andy.
Andy Cave,
Chief Executive Officer,
Hamillroad Software Limited.
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