Without sounding like a rant, I would like to first explain why our current workflow is reminiscent of a cracked drain pipe. I've spent many years in film and have experienced the ups and downs within that environment for the past 20 years. ECRM, Hyphen, Crossfield, Scitex, Fuji, Agfa.. and a few others share my grade scale between disaster and triumph. Moving to CTP though brings a whole new meaning to hard decisions: Continue using a Presstek platesetter or ...chewing razor blades. Tough decision I know. Currently the CTP machine is unplugged and our facility is outsourcing for plates. A quick trouble list: The platesetter would fold plates, jam, leave streaks, refuse to load, refuse to load, refuse to load, load... spit out, load crooked, and kick up error number (insert arbitrary code here) every chance it had. When it worked... it would bang, clack, grunt, and a plate would come out with very small spots - small enough to tick-off clients who reaffirmed their dislike for "recycled stock." If you think you could get 25K out of each plate, say "Hi" to Elvis for me while you're there. 5K yield at the most, then the emulsion would disintegrate on the press - requiring 6 plates to finish a letterhead job (explain that to the quoting CSR). When you look at a fresh unpunched plate adorned with the proprietary coating savvy with the Presstek setup, you will see blatant banding & ribbing variations in the emulsion. One might think the emulsion was put on with a paint brush (the cheap kind... and used... for digging or something).
We are at a crossroads and would like some perspective from our fellow printing brothers. To my own regret, the plant I work for is a recent relationship, and the "workflow" was there when I got there. I'm going to help them out as best I know how. Problem is, the warranty for this expensive "solution" ran out a week before I walked in the door. The options to us at this point are unclear. Closing our eyes, we could say "Give us the model up - that has to be better, right?" Or we could say with a nervous giggle "remove all this and replace it with a new one." If I had my druthers, I would set up a lawn chair out front and watch the garbage men try and load the system into the truck Thursday morning. But the investment to the company was substantial. So like an old Ferrari (without the good looks, awesome sound, admiration, ...um... nice tires...) this system is a hangar queen. The Tech who comes to service us knows everyone in the building now, and is at the point where buying a house next door might actually (on paper) provide us with slightly better support.
If you were in my position, what might you do? And don't start off by asking "How did you get in this condition in the first place?" because LPs are very old now, especially the broken ones.
Thanx guys.
We are at a crossroads and would like some perspective from our fellow printing brothers. To my own regret, the plant I work for is a recent relationship, and the "workflow" was there when I got there. I'm going to help them out as best I know how. Problem is, the warranty for this expensive "solution" ran out a week before I walked in the door. The options to us at this point are unclear. Closing our eyes, we could say "Give us the model up - that has to be better, right?" Or we could say with a nervous giggle "remove all this and replace it with a new one." If I had my druthers, I would set up a lawn chair out front and watch the garbage men try and load the system into the truck Thursday morning. But the investment to the company was substantial. So like an old Ferrari (without the good looks, awesome sound, admiration, ...um... nice tires...) this system is a hangar queen. The Tech who comes to service us knows everyone in the building now, and is at the point where buying a house next door might actually (on paper) provide us with slightly better support.
If you were in my position, what might you do? And don't start off by asking "How did you get in this condition in the first place?" because LPs are very old now, especially the broken ones.
Thanx guys.