Reconditioned CtP Systems Offer Many Benefits Over New

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What’s On Your Plate? Reconditioned CtP Systems Offer Many Benefits Over New

By Richard Romano, Industry Analyst

Despite all the attention that has been lavished on direct digital printing in the past decade or so, offset printing still accounts for the vast majority of commercial printing, and even the most bearish of offset forecasts don’t anticipate digital completely overtaking it any time soon. Most commercial printers use digital to supplement or complement their offset lines, not replace them completely. A continued demand for offset printing means a continued demand for offset plates–and, in turn, demand for platemaking equipment.

Fifteen or 20 years ago, computer-to-plate (CtP) was one of the hottest of industry topics, being a relatively new technology that was building out its installed base. Since those days, it has simply become the norm for prepress. There may not be as many CtP-based magazine features or market research reports as there used to be, but the equipment is still very much in demand. The benefit of CtP being such a mature technology is that the market for secondary–that is to say, used–equipment is quite robust. And, in fact, investing in a used CtP system can have a number of advantages over a brand-new system, and not just in cost savings.

“One advantage of used equipment is you’re not beholden to the source of the equipment,” said Bill Weber, Sales Manager for Bob Weber Inc. Bob Weber Inc. specializes in reconditioned computer-to-plate and other prepress equipment, as well as parts and supplies. “When someone goes out and buys a new CtP system, typically along with the CtP system comes a plate deal. While they might get a good deal on the CtP, they’ll end up paying more for plates than if they had shopped it around.” It’s like buying a cellphone, he said. “You can pay less out of pocket for a cellphone, but you may be stuck in a plan paying more per month for service than you would if you went out and bought a phone and shopped around for service.”

Helping this along is that more and more companies are getting into the consumables business, with the result being more competitive pricing and greater diversity of offerings.

Back in the earlier days of CtP, the benefits of thermal vs. violet laser platesetting systems were hotly contested, usually among vendors. It can be a complex but important distinction to make when looking at a system, be it new or reconditioned, as each imaging technology has its own advantages and disadvantages.

One benefit of thermal is that there are more varieties of thermal plates, from traditional plates that require extensive processing to newer types that require less processing. There are even “processless” thermal plates, although sometimes that term can be a bit of a misnomer. While violet laser CtP systems can seem cheaper than thermal, when you add in the cost of processing equipment, chemistry, and consumables, there can be less of an economic advantage to violet. Still, said Weber, processless technology is coming to violet systems. “Chem-free is new to violet, and we’re starting to see a ramp-up in production over the last few years.” That’s a plus if you’re looking at a new system, he said, “but it’s difficult to find chem-free processors for those on the secondary market,” at least for now. Another distinction is that unlike photosensitive violet plates, thermal plates don’t need to be handled in a safelight environment.

There can also be great variation in the cost of service and replacement parts. “Typically thermal lasers are much more expensive,” said Weber. “For repair of a thermal laser head, you’re looking at $12–15,000 most likely and for an actual replacement laser head, you’re looking at closer to $30,000.” On the other hand, he added, “A violet laser can be replaced in the $5–6,000 range. On average, the violet lasers tend to last a little bit longer as well.”

Are there quality distinctions between thermal and violet? “Thermal has always been seen to be a bit stronger on the quality side of things,” said Weber, “which is why violet tends to have more of a foothold on the newspaper side of the industry.” But, he added, “Our experience is that unless you’re doing extremely high-end, fine-line work, there really isn’t that much of a difference between the two.”

Perhaps the biggest determinant in one’s choice of a CtP system will be what plate size the user is running, or wants to run, which will in turn be determined by the press (es) they are operating. Weber has seen changing trends in plate sizes, and even a demand for more variety in sizes.

“Recently, there are a lot of companies that are trying to do full eight-up and then also down to very small sizes, whether it’s envelopes or something along those lines. There are not many machines on the market that can do a full eight-up size plate as well as a two-up or smaller plate. So we’ve had some difficulties fitting some customers into a CtP that will cover everything.” He has worked with customers to develop workarounds.

Another concern when shopping for used equipment is something that customers, oddly, don’t think about up front: service. And yet that can be one of the most important issues. “If you’re buying a new CtP, that’s not a concern,” he said. “If you’re looking on the secondary market, finding a good service person close by and determining what equipment they’re familiar with and can service can be the difference between having lower or higher service costs in the future.”

This is also why it’s important to shop for used equipment carefully. “We’re not selling used CtP systems as much as we’re selling a reconditioned product that is very close in quality and operating standards to what a new CtP would be,” said Weber. “Someone can go on to a variety of different auction sites and buy a CtP system off someone else’s floor and wind up with a host of problems.”

Computer-to-plate is a mature technology, to be sure, but that only means that there is a strong marketplace for reconditioned equipment and CtP is, after all, still an essential technology in today’s printing landscape.
 

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