Is CTP Still in the Digital Mix?
Small commercial printers rely on CTP for quality and continued ROI.
As high-volume digital presses from Xerox, Kodak, HP, Konica Minolta, Ricoh, Xeikon, and Océ gobble up print volume that used to run on offset presses, what’s in store for computer-to-plate (CTP) technology? Will CTP gradually fade away as offset volume declines? Will new advances keep CTP relevant and help offset to survive the digital onslaught? Are the new chemistry-free CTP devices pushing out the older CTP technologies?
Let’s look at the latter question first. With a large installed base of fairly robust equipment, older CTP technologies are still in use. Couple that with the availability of used CTP equipment and it is unlikely that the older technologies will soon be completely wiped out by the new chemistry-free devices. Yes, the new CTP equipment is more environmentally friendly, but that is not always enough to sway buying decisions.
That said, the new technology is making strong inroads. According to a State Street Consulting survey, some 83 percent of printers with between one and 19 employees said that processless or chemical-free plates are a very important factor when making metal CTP purchasing decisions.
According to Thomas Krumm, Presstek’s group director, CTP, “The overall volume for CTP plate growth in the established markets is flat. However, the no process/chemistry-free plate volumes are growing at about 25 percent in these markets, mainly due to environmental concerns and legislation. New versions of processless/chemistry-free plates are faster, require less power, have longer run lengths, and offer higher quality. They offer a robust and viable solution to customers that are using the older technologies.”
“The adoption of processor-less and process-free technology is a good example of how CTP adapts to an easier to use, more cost effective, and environmentally friendly solution,” says Tim Murphy, president of Printware. “CTP is a long term solution to print communications that compliments other technologies.”
Getting Along
But wait! Everybody knows that digital is growing and offset is shrinking. According to NAPL’s 2011 Printing Industry Profile, digital printing and value added grew from eight percent of sales in 1998 to nearly 38 percent in 2010. Meanwhile, offset lithography shrank from nearly 89 percent of sales in 1998 to almost 55 percent in 2010. It’s the old half full/half empty dilemma. Offset’s share has tumbled, but it still accounts for more than half of printing sales. With that in mind, future scenarios that have offset/CTP and digital output devices coexisting don’t seem that far-fetched.
"Clearly, color digital is doing plenty of work that was done on offset, but our customers tell us they must offer both," says Larry Spevak, president of ColorBurst. "Offset is extremely economical for jobs over a few thousand prints."
“Xitron saw a strong mix of technologies being utilized by our customers in 2011,” according to Mark Eisenschenk, Xitron’s president and CEO. “Xitron workflows are used to drive digital production devices alongside traditional CTP devices and proofers.”
Presstek’s Krumm notes: “It is all about the right tool for the job. Just like carpenters need several saws to do their job, printers need several output devices to do theirs. Runs of less than 500 and personalization are best served by toner devices, longer runs of 20,000 and up are best served by CTP and conventional offset and/or DI digital offset presses.”
According to Xitron’s Bill Owens: “The newer technologies, especially digital, are complementary to existing CTP and offset. There are still jobs that simply cannot be done digitally and when it comes to higher run lengths, offset continues to win on price along with quality. We have seen a significant number of users invest in supplemental CTP technology, especially for one- and two-color small-format jobs. These are jobs which one might think would be ideal for the toner-based digital devices. However, we see shops with existing press investments making new investments in CTP to continue getting the most out of their previous pressroom investment.”
All Digital?
Is the future all digital? In some ways, yes. Remember that CTP is every bit as much a digital technology as is digital output. The difference is that one is used to create a static piece while the other can be used to produce both static and variable output.
However, there is a move—especially among the franchise segment—to an all-digital model using only digital production equipment. This model can be very efficient and profitable for some work, but is limited is other ways. Digital’s sweet spot is in shorter runs with fast turnaround, with or without variable. Longer runs and certain quality requirements still favor offset. As for fast turnaround, today’s newer presses with auto plate load and eject, combined with CTP, offer turnaround speeds unheard of just a few years ago.
Some of the new all-digital models have recognized this and eventually have added CTP and offset to their shops to accommodate customer job demands. Others are approaching the digital/offset choice somewhat differently. According to QP columnist John Giles, “I have seen several people drop offset from their shops recently and move to digital in-house. It doesn't mean they have quit selling offset work. It is that they can buy it from outside vendors easily.”
There is no doubt that printers are buying offset from outside vendors, especially four-color jobs that can be efficiently gang-run. However, the majority of shops continue to operate in a dual configuration. Digital presses and/or light-production digital equipment are coexisting with small-format offset presses, and CTP has become essential to this mix.
As the quick and small commercial printing industry continues to evolve, there is no doubt that offset’s share of sales will continue to erode, but with more than half of all of today’s sales it won’t disappear for a long time. Its place in the job mix has been enhanced by the advances in processless or chemical free computer-to-plate technology and, despite offset’s shrinking share of the job mix, modern CTP will help insure its viability in the years to come.
CTP HARDWARE VENDORS
Agfa Graphics www.myprintresource.com/10003665
ColorBurst www.myprintresource.com/10004521
ECRM www.myprintresource.com/10005130
Epson America www.myprintresource.com/1005229
Glunz & Jensen www.myprintresource.com/10005568
Heidelberg USA www.myprintresource.com/10005802
Hurst Chemical www.myprintresource.com/10005890
JetPlate Systems www.myprintresource.com/10006164
Kimoto Tech www.myprintresource.com/10006253
Mitsubishi Imaging www.myprintresource.com/10006752
Presstek www.myprintresource.com/10007359
PrintWare www.myprintresource.com/10211357
Screen (USA) www.myprintresource.com/10007873
