The impact of change
When digital technology began to enter the printing industry in the second half of the 1980s, we once spoke about the advent of a wave of technological change. For example, many of us remember that there was a brief mention at the time of describing the so-called "third wave" of the universal prepress platform replacing traditional proprietary systems.
In a period such as the past that is very recent in years, or in the days before the technology can be called a few eras ago, because the changes come at regular intervals, we have time to respond to them. Therefore, the metaphor of "Tide" is appropriate. But now we are no longer talking about "waves." One of the reasons may be that since that time, the arrival of change has been so rapid that it has often been like a flood.
This was what happened after the IPEX 1993 International Printing Exhibition. Digital presses had just emerged, and traditional offset printing seemed to have been threatened. The wave of internet companies that soared in the printing industry shortly after IPEX 1998 also seemed to indicate a new mode of operation.
When we were preparing to meet IPEX 2002, the two tides of change had already receded. What remains is the companies and business models that can still maintain their support in these two branches, and the printing industry which, as a whole, still looks familiar to us all.
This situation further shows that the printing industry has the extraordinary ability to identify new technologies, absorb the best of each new development, apply them, and continuously improve them. And that's why we are hosting a major show like the IPEX 2002 International Print Show.
The ability of the printing industry to adapt to change has given us confidence as more changes are about to come. It is just as confident as our recent prediction that the way in which the communication and dissemination through print in the digital age will continue to function.
In a speech at ON DEMAND held in New York, two well-known figures in the industry, Bernhard Schreier, chairman of the Board of Directors of Heidelberg, and Frank Romano of the Rochester Institute of Technology expressed optimistic views on the future demand for the printing industry. The cited statistics show that in the past 10 years, the number of printed pages printed in the United States alone has reached 7.2 billion, and it is expected that this number will continue to grow in the current 10 years and will exceed 10 billion. Of course, what kind of technology will be used to print what proportion of these pages will have to be printed, but it is still necessary to continue to wait and see, but one thing is clear: people need to print.
Output Technology - CTP, CTF and proofing development
After a few retreats and retreats in the 25 years before the 1990s, by the mid-1990s, many people in the industry believed that the era of computer-to-plate (CTP) technology had come.
CTP technology has rapidly become popular in recent years. At IPEX 2002, it will appear as a mature technology. The development of many related technologies will make CTP technology more stable and reliable. For the CTP technology, it is important to select the thermal plate or the visible light plate, whether to select the inner drum or the outer drum imager or the front-end driver, which is less than the market acceptance of all-digital workflow and digital proofing.
Therefore, to explore the progress of the output technology, it must involve the development trend of the output device's workflow, mainly CTP, CTF and digital proofing equipment.
CTP
The entire output market has developed rapidly from film imaging output to computer plate direct output. However, CTF sales in 2001 still exceeded CTP. What are the reasons?
• More companies produce film than companies that produce plates. Prepress companies, service departments, publishing companies, and printing companies all make films. Only the printing companies and a few prepress companies are involved in the CTP business.
Due to the high development costs, the CTP plate prices remain high. However, the economic scale of CTP plate production will soon go up and prices will fall.
• The price of direct plate machines is much higher than CTF equipment. It is estimated that if the CTP plate maker is only 20% higher than the CTF price, its popularity will be greatly increased.
The fierce competition in the small format market, especially the octal and quadruple printers market, offers a wide choice for the printing industry. In this market, the inexpensive and automatic CTP equipment is very poor.
The advertising company chooses film because it is a visible carrier, and digital media is much less intuitive.
The situation of CTP in different markets is also very different. In the United States, CTP is the first choice for web offset printing companies, but only since 2000, B1 format sheet-fed printers have begun to invest in this. In Europe and Japan, CTP technology was first popularized on B1 format printers and then used by more profitable B2 format printers. It was a long time after the CTP got involved in the web offset press. In other markets, human resources are abundant, and the most important thing is price, so CTF can still be popular.
With the development of the local economy and the coordination of dealers in both price and performance, the development of CTP will not be far off. At the same time, potential customers should also move closer to the digital workflow and start using digital proofing technology on a large scale instead of using film for contract proofing.
Full digital workflow
CTP solutions can only play their full power in a fully digital workflow. At IPEX 2002, we will be able to see the evolution of the front-end system from centering on optimized output devices to centering on optimized workflows. Most RIP service systems currently support multiple import file formats, from PDF, Postscript, EPS, DCS, and mixed or independent forms of these formats to CT/LW-based models such as TIFF/IT and Scitex Handshake and CopyDot files ,omnipotent.
Most systems are equipped with features such as built-in preflight, color management, trapping, imposition, etc. throughout the entire printing process. Some systems perform single-page traps early on, while others do trapping at the final output stage. Almost all systems have ICC-based color management capabilities that can convert RGB graphics and images into CMYK forms that can be simulated using digital proofing equipment or exported to another printing system for printing. Such as gravure printing equipment.
NORM (a normalization, multiple processing) and ROOM (a processing, multiple output) swept the entire industry before 2000. PDF1.3/1.4 and CT/LW and vectorization create a completely open NORM workflow. Some systems, such as APogee and CelebraNT, use PDF workflows on the front end, but synthesize and output the processed 1-bit TIFF files.
In addition, many printers adopt CTP technology, which means that it will use CIP3 PPF to process all-digital ink settings and other control functions.
Proofing
Proofing is an important part of an all-digital workflow, and the color management function brings great progress to the printing process.
Digital technology brings a large number of solutions to proofing. Kodak Approval, Polaroid, and Imation Digital MatchPrint can output data for specified devices and even thermal CTP imaging devices. But usually not suitable for all Pantone colors.
IRIS and Digital Cromalin have taken a firm step in the field of contract proofing with the advantage of continuous inkjet. On-demand inkjet technology by Epson, Hewlett Packard, and Mutoh ranked second, but most of them were less stable. These devices have lost many points in the screening process.
From CTF to CTP
As mentioned above, sales of CTF equipment are still ahead of CTP equipment, especially in the B2 and B1 format printing markets. This is even more significant. With a special developing device, it is possible to use polyester plates for direct plate making on existing CTF equipment. For small print companies, this is an economical alternative to aluminum-based CTP plates. Both the plate and the imaging device are more economical and can be switched between CTF and CTP.
From CTF to CTP is a shortcut to enter the all-digital workflow, but also allows customers to better understand the digital file transfer. In addition, CTF imaging equipment can still come in handy as it evolves into CTP. Even if the use of a second CTP device to process different stencils or proofs can offset the investment in two imaging devices, few people can achieve 100% CTP in one step.
Printing plate
The choice of CTP plates becomes more and more difficult.
The focus is mainly on the selection of thermal plates and visible light plates, and the choice of semi-automatic and fully-automatic plate processing and imaging.
The thermal plate has advantages in terms of the number of high-line lines and the operation of the light room. In some cases, the thermal plate has advantages in the printing force resistance. However, thermal plate production costs and processing costs are in most cases 10% to 20% higher than those of visible light plates.
The demand for flush-free plates has grown slowly. Because it requires completely different maintenance methods at the prepress stage, the operator no longer needs to replenish the developer in the developer and does not need to flush the plate, but needs to clean the imaging equipment and remove precipitated material. It will take time before the process of flushing the plates will take a long time. In our view, direct imaging on the printing machine may be the success of the flush-free CTP plate application.
In 2000, visible light CTP technology developed to the third generation, its resistance to printing force is greater, and its quality is higher. The violet laser CTP plate has appeared and can be operated under yellow safety light. Choosing between thermal plates and visible plates requires not only explicit operability but also cost considerations. At this stage, not only is the price of thermal plates expensive, but also the cost of thermal CTP imaging equipment and maintenance costs of laser equipment is also 15% higher.
The degree of automation of CTP is directly proportional to the capital investment. The plate-making machine has both manual and semi-automatic plates (only a limited number of plate sizes can be accommodated in the plate) and fully-automated plates (only 500 plates of different sizes can be accommodated in the plates) Plates), fully automatic plate-making platesetter can produce 24 hours without shutting down.
The benefit of manually printing a CTP is that its quality is good, but its efficiency is quite low. If you do not care about labor costs, and the amount of plate making is less than 40 a day, semi-automatic version of the CTP machine will be sufficient. If a full-size plate of various sizes is to be manufactured, and the plate-making volume is 50 or more, it is necessary to use a fully-automatic plate-making plate-making machine.
Overview
Although CTP is a major trend, the situation is completely different for each company. One of the most important driving forces is that it can save the time spent in prepress and printing, and it requires fewer employees. And where it needs to be improved is quality and stability. CTP is difficult to achieve direct cost reduction.
Prices of plates and imaging equipment are not expected to fall in the short term. Plate media and imaging equipment distributors still invest a great deal of their input, material resources, and financial resources to increase plate production and improve the automation of CTP imaging equipment.
When digital technology began to enter the printing industry in the second half of the 1980s, we once spoke about the advent of a wave of technological change. For example, many of us remember that there was a brief mention at the time of describing the so-called "third wave" of the universal prepress platform replacing traditional proprietary systems.
In a period such as the past that is very recent in years, or in the days before the technology can be called a few eras ago, because the changes come at regular intervals, we have time to respond to them. Therefore, the metaphor of "Tide" is appropriate. But now we are no longer talking about "waves." One of the reasons may be that since that time, the arrival of change has been so rapid that it has often been like a flood.
This was what happened after the IPEX 1993 International Printing Exhibition. Digital presses had just emerged, and traditional offset printing seemed to have been threatened. The wave of internet companies that soared in the printing industry shortly after IPEX 1998 also seemed to indicate a new mode of operation.
When we were preparing to meet IPEX 2002, the two tides of change had already receded. What remains is the companies and business models that can still maintain their support in these two branches, and the printing industry which, as a whole, still looks familiar to us all.
This situation further shows that the printing industry has the extraordinary ability to identify new technologies, absorb the best of each new development, apply them, and continuously improve them. And that's why we are hosting a major show like the IPEX 2002 International Print Show.
The ability of the printing industry to adapt to change has given us confidence as more changes are about to come. It is just as confident as our recent prediction that the way in which the communication and dissemination through print in the digital age will continue to function.
In a speech at ON DEMAND held in New York, two well-known figures in the industry, Bernhard Schreier, chairman of the Board of Directors of Heidelberg, and Frank Romano of the Rochester Institute of Technology expressed optimistic views on the future demand for the printing industry. The cited statistics show that in the past 10 years, the number of printed pages printed in the United States alone has reached 7.2 billion, and it is expected that this number will continue to grow in the current 10 years and will exceed 10 billion. Of course, what kind of technology will be used to print what proportion of these pages will have to be printed, but it is still necessary to continue to wait and see, but one thing is clear: people need to print.
Output Technology - CTP, CTF and proofing development
After a few retreats and retreats in the 25 years before the 1990s, by the mid-1990s, many people in the industry believed that the era of computer-to-plate (CTP) technology had come.
CTP technology has rapidly become popular in recent years. At IPEX 2002, it will appear as a mature technology. The development of many related technologies will make CTP technology more stable and reliable. For the CTP technology, it is important to select the thermal plate or the visible light plate, whether to select the inner drum or the outer drum imager or the front-end driver, which is less than the market acceptance of all-digital workflow and digital proofing.
Therefore, to explore the progress of the output technology, it must involve the development trend of the output device's workflow, mainly CTP, CTF and digital proofing equipment.
CTP
The entire output market has developed rapidly from film imaging output to computer plate direct output. However, CTF sales in 2001 still exceeded CTP. What are the reasons?
• More companies produce film than companies that produce plates. Prepress companies, service departments, publishing companies, and printing companies all make films. Only the printing companies and a few prepress companies are involved in the CTP business.
Due to the high development costs, the CTP plate prices remain high. However, the economic scale of CTP plate production will soon go up and prices will fall.
• The price of direct plate machines is much higher than CTF equipment. It is estimated that if the CTP plate maker is only 20% higher than the CTF price, its popularity will be greatly increased.
The fierce competition in the small format market, especially the octal and quadruple printers market, offers a wide choice for the printing industry. In this market, the inexpensive and automatic CTP equipment is very poor.
The advertising company chooses film because it is a visible carrier, and digital media is much less intuitive.
The situation of CTP in different markets is also very different. In the United States, CTP is the first choice for web offset printing companies, but only since 2000, B1 format sheet-fed printers have begun to invest in this. In Europe and Japan, CTP technology was first popularized on B1 format printers and then used by more profitable B2 format printers. It was a long time after the CTP got involved in the web offset press. In other markets, human resources are abundant, and the most important thing is price, so CTF can still be popular.
With the development of the local economy and the coordination of dealers in both price and performance, the development of CTP will not be far off. At the same time, potential customers should also move closer to the digital workflow and start using digital proofing technology on a large scale instead of using film for contract proofing.
Full digital workflow
CTP solutions can only play their full power in a fully digital workflow. At IPEX 2002, we will be able to see the evolution of the front-end system from centering on optimized output devices to centering on optimized workflows. Most RIP service systems currently support multiple import file formats, from PDF, Postscript, EPS, DCS, and mixed or independent forms of these formats to CT/LW-based models such as TIFF/IT and Scitex Handshake and CopyDot files ,omnipotent.
Most systems are equipped with features such as built-in preflight, color management, trapping, imposition, etc. throughout the entire printing process. Some systems perform single-page traps early on, while others do trapping at the final output stage. Almost all systems have ICC-based color management capabilities that can convert RGB graphics and images into CMYK forms that can be simulated using digital proofing equipment or exported to another printing system for printing. Such as gravure printing equipment.
NORM (a normalization, multiple processing) and ROOM (a processing, multiple output) swept the entire industry before 2000. PDF1.3/1.4 and CT/LW and vectorization create a completely open NORM workflow. Some systems, such as APogee and CelebraNT, use PDF workflows on the front end, but synthesize and output the processed 1-bit TIFF files.
In addition, many printers adopt CTP technology, which means that it will use CIP3 PPF to process all-digital ink settings and other control functions.
Proofing
Proofing is an important part of an all-digital workflow, and the color management function brings great progress to the printing process.
Digital technology brings a large number of solutions to proofing. Kodak Approval, Polaroid, and Imation Digital MatchPrint can output data for specified devices and even thermal CTP imaging devices. But usually not suitable for all Pantone colors.
IRIS and Digital Cromalin have taken a firm step in the field of contract proofing with the advantage of continuous inkjet. On-demand inkjet technology by Epson, Hewlett Packard, and Mutoh ranked second, but most of them were less stable. These devices have lost many points in the screening process.
From CTF to CTP
As mentioned above, sales of CTF equipment are still ahead of CTP equipment, especially in the B2 and B1 format printing markets. This is even more significant. With a special developing device, it is possible to use polyester plates for direct plate making on existing CTF equipment. For small print companies, this is an economical alternative to aluminum-based CTP plates. Both the plate and the imaging device are more economical and can be switched between CTF and CTP.
From CTF to CTP is a shortcut to enter the all-digital workflow, but also allows customers to better understand the digital file transfer. In addition, CTF imaging equipment can still come in handy as it evolves into CTP. Even if the use of a second CTP device to process different stencils or proofs can offset the investment in two imaging devices, few people can achieve 100% CTP in one step.
Printing plate
The choice of CTP plates becomes more and more difficult.
The focus is mainly on the selection of thermal plates and visible light plates, and the choice of semi-automatic and fully-automatic plate processing and imaging.
The thermal plate has advantages in terms of the number of high-line lines and the operation of the light room. In some cases, the thermal plate has advantages in the printing force resistance. However, thermal plate production costs and processing costs are in most cases 10% to 20% higher than those of visible light plates.
The demand for flush-free plates has grown slowly. Because it requires completely different maintenance methods at the prepress stage, the operator no longer needs to replenish the developer in the developer and does not need to flush the plate, but needs to clean the imaging equipment and remove precipitated material. It will take time before the process of flushing the plates will take a long time. In our view, direct imaging on the printing machine may be the success of the flush-free CTP plate application.
In 2000, visible light CTP technology developed to the third generation, its resistance to printing force is greater, and its quality is higher. The violet laser CTP plate has appeared and can be operated under yellow safety light. Choosing between thermal plates and visible plates requires not only explicit operability but also cost considerations. At this stage, not only is the price of thermal plates expensive, but also the cost of thermal CTP imaging equipment and maintenance costs of laser equipment is also 15% higher.
The degree of automation of CTP is directly proportional to the capital investment. The plate-making machine has both manual and semi-automatic plates (only a limited number of plate sizes can be accommodated in the plate) and fully-automated plates (only 500 plates of different sizes can be accommodated in the plates) Plates), fully automatic plate-making platesetter can produce 24 hours without shutting down.
The benefit of manually printing a CTP is that its quality is good, but its efficiency is quite low. If you do not care about labor costs, and the amount of plate making is less than 40 a day, semi-automatic version of the CTP machine will be sufficient. If a full-size plate of various sizes is to be manufactured, and the plate-making volume is 50 or more, it is necessary to use a fully-automatic plate-making plate-making machine.
Overview
Although CTP is a major trend, the situation is completely different for each company. One of the most important driving forces is that it can save the time spent in prepress and printing, and it requires fewer employees. And where it needs to be improved is quality and stability. CTP is difficult to achieve direct cost reduction.
Prices of plates and imaging equipment are not expected to fall in the short term. Plate media and imaging equipment distributors still invest a great deal of their input, material resources, and financial resources to increase plate production and improve the automation of CTP imaging equipment.
Chiavari Chair Seat,Wood Wedding Chair,Chiavari Chair,Wood Chair
Sino Furniture Co., Ltd. , http://www.qd-furniture.com