New system

[jimas67]

We are thinking of changing over to a new CTP system. Has anyone used Plate Writer by Glunz and Jensen? I would appreciate your feedback.

 

[Lammy]

I used a Plate Writer 2000 for three years. We did lots of single and spot color printing as well as down and dirty commodity process work.

What sort of printing are you doing?

Be advised it only does stochastic dot. Yes they will tell you there is an option to get a true halftone dot pattern, but when I asked the tech about it he said it was the worst dot he's ever seen. I didn't have a plate reader so I cannot tell you how consistent it is or isn't, but the four color pressman hated it. Registration is only as good as you put the plates it, but if done right I've had plates hit "dot for dot".

On the maintenance side, you MUST put solution on the cleaning pads every week. Not just the couple of drops like they say to either. I was pretty well soaking the one that is used to clean the heads several times and scrubbing it with a wipe too. The epson uses a pump to suck "ink" through the heads in order to clean them. The problem with the "ink" on the Plate Writer is it dries hard as a rock. So when the pad, tube and pump to clean the heads gets filled it can no longer suck the "ink" out of the heads to clean them. Thus weekly, or more, you need to put the solution which dissolves the "ink" onto the pad so that it runs down the tube and through the pump. I would know I had enough when it would no longer puddle on the pad. Also that whole system needs to be replaced yearly by a tech.

Aside from that it worked well enough. Very simple RIP that was a PIA after having come from a RAMpage shop.

 

[jimas67]

Thanks for your response Lammy. We actually will be using this for spot printing to 4 color process on a KBA, ryobi 3302 , jet press, and 2 ryobi 2800. How do the plates last on a long run? Did you have any problems with scumming or trash showing up? Can you store these plates for future use? I'm sorry for all the questions, but my boss is looking into this system and I'm helping him find out info besides what the sales guy is pushing . I appreciate your help.

 

[Lammy]

The shop I was at had a 14x20 GTO 52, a Ryobi 3302, a QM46 and a Halm. On runs over 25,000 on the GTO we would make two sets of plates. They were very sensitive if the wrong chemicals were used and was the cause of most of the remakes. I can't recall what it was. I know the gum system was crap so we didn't use it and the pressman would gum the plates by hand before they hung them. If there was something on the rag they used to apply the gum it would ruin the plate. The gum processor that comes with the system simply applies to much gum to the plate and the pressman had a horrible time getting them to ink up. We did not store any plates, it just wasn't worth the hassle.

Blanket to plate pressures on the press are a huge deal. If you have to much the plates will wear out very quickly. On process work you also need to be sure to watch your quarter tones in the work. Our color bars would read proper for solid density, but looking at the sheets on long runs the color would just slowly fade away in the screens.