Glunz and Jensen Special Edition – We Have a Few In Stock

Glunz and Jensen iCTP Platewriter 2000

If you have been considering a Glunz & Jensen iCTP Platewriter 2000 I have good news for you. We have a limited supply of the brand new Glunz & Jensen iCTP Platewriter 2450SE chemfree platesetters, the SE stands for Special Edition. [Read more…]

The Beginning of Computer to Plate (CTP)

CTP technology evolved from computer-to-film (CTF) technology which we call imagesetters. There are two types of imagesetters, drum and capstan. With drum imagesetters the media is vacuumed to the internal surface of the drum and exposed by a laser beam reflected by a mirror (or mirrors) mounted on a high speed spinner motor.

[Read more…]

An Introduction to CTP

Since 1978 when I started working for Compugraphic I have witnessed quite an evolution in the prepress slice of the printing industry. Since my days as a service technician with Compugraphic, I have witnessed the advancement of platemaking technology from a multi-stepped process that involved typesetters with RC paper (remember the Compugraphic Editwriter), cameras and film, to today’s technology of imaging directly to the printing plate. This journey has resulted in an abundance of knowledge, in these upcoming articles, I hope to impart as much of that knowledge as possible. Although by no means all-inclusive, this information should prove practical to those who are considering purchasing CTP equipment in the near future. [Read more…]

New Tech Allows You to Leverage Inkjet and Wide-format Printers for Computer to Plate

Inkjet printing has progressed by leaps and bounds in the past decade. Improved print heads make it possible to produce excellent screening by decreasing the size of the dot.

Along with significant advances in the print engines, inkjet printers are also much faster than they were just a few years ago. Many of today’s inkjet printers can be bundled with a state of the art software RIP, allowing commercial printers, quick printers and screen printers to use these systems as computer to film and computer to plate systems. With the right combination of hardware, software, ink and film, a screen printer can achieve densities of close to 4 on clear film for their film positives. [Read more…]

Epson Announces Release of Low-Cost InkJet Technology Plate Maker

Epson has announced the release of their new Epson 7990 CTP system plate maker. At around $10,000, this plate maker has been suggested to be a serious competitor to the Glunz and Jensen line of PlateWriters. After extensive testing of the 2 systems, it is obvious the Epson 7990 CTP system cannot match the Glunz and Jensen PlateWriter line because it lacks many of the features and ease of operation that the Glunz and Jensen provides as a commercial production plate maker. [Read more…]

Inkjet Computer to Metal Plate for Newspapers

Should you consider using an inkjet based computer to plate system to make plates for your newspaper? That depends, if you are a smaller newspaper that can live with 9-10 plates per hour and run lengths of 50,000 impressions on press it may be the perfect solution. If you are a larger paper that needs much more than 10 plates per hour it just wouldn’t be fast enough to keep up with production. But for the smaller newspaper, inkjet CTP is a very affordable, metal computer-to-plate system. [Read more…]

Computer to Plate ( CTP ) – What It Is And Why You Should Seriously Consider It

The steady advancement of technology affects every industry, but none more so than the printing industry. Since the Printing Press was invented there has been a constant effort to improve productivity and efficiency. Because of this demand, the printing industry has always been on the leading edge of the technology curve. [Read more…]