Difference between CTP plate and PS plate

[ngocdung93]

Dear All,

Could you help me on this issue?

Where is deference b/w CTP Thermal plate and PS plate?

If the machine systems (plate-setter, processor, printing machine) apply PS plate, but now client changes to use CTP Thermal plate, is it possible?

Thanks so much,

[ProcessControlSolutions]

Cindy: Thermal Plate technology is entirely different from Fuju PS conventional. The thermal plate needs to be pre-heated before development (after imaging). It also uses an entirely different Fuji developer that has a higher replenishment rate. It, too, must be run under temperature to perform. For more information I will need the precise thermal plate you intend to run. Then I can give you more accurate processing instructions...as can your Fuji tech rep. Regards, Dan the Man.

[Kevin@Kodak]

Cindy: Thermal Plate technology is entirely different from Fuju PS conventional. The thermal plate needs to be pre-heated before development (after imaging). It also uses an entirely different Fuji developer that has a higher replenishment rate. It, too, must be run under temperature to perform. For more information I will need the precise thermal plate you intend to run. Then I can give you more accurate processing instructions...as can your Fuji tech rep. Regards, Dan the Man.

Dan - the statements you make above are not entirely accurate. Only a small number of thermal plates need preheating (certainly not any "new" generation of thermal plates do - although digital violet plates still use preheat), and the developer usage of current plates is significantly lower than conventional plates.

Cindy - your question is pretty vague - if you can clarify what types of differences you're looking for, we could all answer your question better.


Kevin.

[SteveAgfa]

Kevin -

perhaps an edit is in order...

<snip> - although SOME digital violet plates still use pre-heat <snip>

Our LAP-V never has, and never will use pre-heat, although our violet
photopolymer - conventional digital and chem-free - do employ pre-heat.

Regards,

[Kevin@Kodak]

Kevin -

perhaps an edit is in order...

<snip> - although SOME digital violet plates still use pre-heat <snip>

Our LAP-V never has, and never will use pre-heat, although our violet
photopolymer - conventional digital and chem-free - do employ pre-heat.

Regards,

You're right, Steve - I'll grant you that. I should have clarified just as I did with Thermal that I was talking about "current" plate technology in both categories.

Kevin.

[Sev]

Kevin -

perhaps an edit is in order...

<snip> - although SOME digital violet plates still use pre-heat <snip>

Our LAP-V never has, and never will use pre-heat, although our violet
photopolymer - conventional digital and chem-free - do employ pre-heat.

Regards,

Steve, we use the LAP-V, no pre-heat. The press operators love the plates, and we get great mileage with the :LAP-V plates (I had to put in the : for a little Agfa humor). We have yet to wear out a plate.

-Sev

[ngocdung93]

Someone said that "CTP thermal and PS plate are the same."

At present, they use PS plate (from China) and they want to use CTP plate.

I'm afraid that their present machine systems for PS plate are not suitable to use CTP plate.

How can I advise them?

[Kevin@Kodak]

Someone said that "CTP thermal and PS plate are the same."

At present, they use PS plate (from China) and they want to use CTP plate.

I'm afraid that their present machine systems for PS plate are not suitable to use CTP plate.

How can I advise them?

Cindy - the plate type they use has to match the type of imaging equipment they're using. Digital plates (thermal or violet) need a "computer to plate" device of a suitable type - thermal laser for thermal plates, or violet laser for violet plates.

Some digital plates can also be exposed using film in a contact frame, but that's only useful as a backup solution - not as a primary exposure process.

The right place to start is: exactly what exposure equipment is the customer planning on using in the future? Are they willing to invest in new equipment, or is their current setup the limiting factor? From there, choosing the right plate is much more straight forward.

Within each category (PS plates, thermal plates, violet plates), you'll have a choice of different plate types for different printing needs.


Kevin.

[ngocdung93]

Most of "Current" CTP plates need spectra sensitivity 800~850 nm, while "Current" PS plate need sensitivity 430~450 nm, right?

And Kevin@Kodak said "...and the developer usage of current plates is significantly lower than conventional plates.", does it mean aspect of developer using rate or comparison on developer price?

[Kevin@Kodak]

Most of "Current" CTP plates need spectra sensitivity 800~850 nm, while "Current" PS plate need sensitivity 430~450 nm, right?

And Kevin@Kodak said "...and the developer usage of current plates is significantly lower than conventional plates.", does it mean aspect of developer using rate or comparison on developer price?

For digital plates, you really have three choices of laser types (and wavelength) based on the vendor and class of CTP you choose: 830nm (most thermal systems), 808nm (really only one major vendor of thermal systems), and 405nm (violet lasers). The plates themselves will be sensitive a bit above/below those frequencies, but the lasers are wavelength-specific.

<edit>PS plates ("conventional" plates exposed with film and a UV lamp) have a wider sensitivity anywhere from 320 to 450nm. UV lamps don't output just a single wavelength of light like a laser, but a broader spectrum in that general range. Violet plates fall into the same range of wavelength actually, but have to be MUCH more sensitive to exposure than conventional plates because violet lasers only have 5 to 120mW of power. (Thermal laser systems can deliver 100W of power or more to the plate) </edit>

Regarding developer usage: it's hard to give a global statement for all plate types because of the regional variations in products and practices, but for the latest digital plates (at least from Kodak) have far less developer use than older digital plates and essentially all conventional plates. Even if the cost per liter of developer may be a bit more, the total cost should be competitive or better. This is an area where we've made huge improvements even in the last 1-2 years.

Kevin.