Experience it

Think digital-prepress technology is hype? Experiencing it at CMM Intl. may change your mind.

By Associate Editor Holly Ann Suzik -- Converting Magazine, 3/1/2001

Just try it. Just once? Puh-leeze. Many digital prepress experts insist that if you, a flexographic printer, simply tried computer-to-plate technology, you'd switch. Apparently, the majority of flexographic printers haven't adopted CTP, but the technology is there, awaiting discovery. And, if you make that discovery, you might not go back.

"It takes an experience for the printer or converter. Once that printer has experienced digital flexo plates and sees the advantage of crisper, cleaner print, finer highlights and increased detail, the demand for CTP is created," says Al Bowers, packaging business manager, Banta Digital Group, Menasha, Wis.

So what's holding you back? If it's the ability to see, touch and completely experience the technology, your chance is approaching at CMM Intl. 2001 in Chicago, April 23 to 26. Whether you're a flexographic, offset or gravure printer, the largest converting and package-printing show worldwide lets you meet with representatives from companies leading the way in digital technology.

According to Barron Davidson, graphic technology manager, OEC Graphics (Oshkosh, Wis.), the trend in flexographic package design is clearly digital. As a result, these designs have become so complex that many design expectations cannot be met by conventional plates. CTP is a natural solution.

Needed: processless plates

For flexo, CTP will become the method of choice when processless plates develop for the industry. Many computer-to-plate manufacturers are aggressively investigating processless plates, which represent a viable solution for the masses. In North America, this will be the breakthrough.

Other experts say the technology exists for CTP flexo, and that the benefits outweigh the costs. In fact, it is less expensive than analog, says Ian Hole, business development manager for North America, Barco Graphics, Vandalia, Ohio. Although you must initially invest in the CTP equipment for flexo and slightly higher-cost plates, waste is eliminated because there is no film or guesswork-the process is consistent and totally repeatable. Also, the manpower needed to make the same number of plates is less.

Hole believes overall benefits for CTP flexo are greater than for CTP offset: "Unlike offset CTP, where there are few benefits on press between analog and CTP, in flexo there is a world of difference. When these plates go on press, your press setup times are reduced, you are in register and up to color quicker. Press downtime is typically 50 to 70 percent [with analog]. If you can impact that downtime by just 10 or 15 percent annually, you'll more than pay for the CTP investment and start to increase your profits."

By the end of 2000, Barco boasts 152 working Cyrel Digital Imagers worldwide. "The technology is there," says Hole. "It's simply people getting used to the fact that this is an available technology. They may have heard about it, but believe it's hype. When they've had that real experience, people are getting converted quickly."

Quality demands keep rising

As flexo goes head-to-head with offset, the demand for digital technology grows, says Dave Brown, corporate vice president of business strategies, CreoScitex, Vancouver, BC. The quality of package printing rises yearly, he comments. "As those expectations go up, people have little choice but finding a way to deliver them. Although there is a price premium for the consumables, you can demonstrate that the whole process is more economical in a digital workflow [for flexo]," Brown says. "Productivity goes up and error rates go down with a fully digital workflow."

According to Brad Taylor, research associate, and Mark Mazur, digital prepress consultant, DuPont Cyrelr Packaging Graphics Products (Wilmington, Del.), just-in-time platemaking is driving the need for CTP flexo, especially as platemaking moves to the printer/converter and away from the trade shop. However, Taylor comments that the trade shop isn't disappearing, but that the trade shop will manage the converters' digital prepress and platemaking operations. CTP intertwines the trade shop's and converter's environments, as it connects front-end design operations with the platemaker. The plate created via a CTP system is taken through the remaining processing steps of the trade shop.

In conventional plate-making, after the film is created, the plate is placed in a vacuum frame. During exposure, there is narrow exposure latitude, and interference with dust particles and contact are concerns. "With direct-to-plate, all of those things go away. You don't have to worry about vacuum or contact, because it's already part of the plate. You have tremendous exposure latitude with these plates," Mazur says.

Once on press, the plates lend high productivity because of higher impression latitude, color consistency and overall press consistency. This means faster runs, longer print times and better tone reproduction.

Proof is in the proof

Although it's difficult to become accustomed to, digital proofing represents another CTP advantage. The digital proofing system is characterized to match your printing process, which means better representation of the finished print job in the proof.

"In conventional techniques, you get to press with a proof that doesn't match your press, and spend a lot of time tweaking and getting the press to match that proof," Mazur says. "With digital workflow, you have a proof that matches your press conditions, so you get on press and set up your press-and you're up and running faster."

Finally, reaping the full benefits of CTP means looking at your entire workflow, not just the computer-to-plate technology. Barco's Hole advises, "Consider the immediate technology in front of the CTP. The workstations, software and RIP [raster-image processor] must be examined. CTP is a device at the end of a workflow, and the workflow is as important as the device. They are interdependent. To just put CTP into an existing workflow may not answer all questions."

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