20 micron FM using Screen CTP?

[J]

I guess no one is doing 10 micron with Screen CtP. So, is anyone doing 20 micron FM on a daily basis using Screen CTP (esp 8600 and 4300)? Success? Issues?

[Thomas Storgaard]

Hi John

We are doing Staccato 20 on a Screen PlateRite 8800 on a daily basis. We have no problem with this... Just make sure that your processor clean!!! Our Staccato 10 is done on a Kodak Magnus 800.

Thomas

[macphenom]

We do 20 micron Taffeta (Fuji's stochastic) on a daily basis on our 8800 and we have absolutely no problems.

[J]

We do 20 micron Taffeta (Fuji's stochastic) on a daily basis on our 8800 and we have absolutely no problems.

No hot spots or warm spots?
Recently, a friend in America was promised 10 micron FM on Screen CtP but then they couldn't deliver any demo plates to test on press. Well, they tried but then gave up. And I've heard other posters on this forum complain about hotspots with Screen CtP that they do not have with Creo (oops, Kodak) CtP. So, I find it hard to believe that even 20 micron is realistic for everyday presswork with Screen/Fuji CtP without a great deal of effort.
Do you really have "no issues" ?

thanks. John

[macphenom]

Honest, no issues. We are a G7 printer so we are running curved plates depending on the substrate. I know there are a lot of horror stories about certain plates that hot spot, not mentioning any names (K***K) but the Fuji LHPJ thermal plate we run are working perfect. The only thing I will tell you is you must set up the platesetter to use the fine mode when doing stochastic plates, so it reduced the drum speed to about half when doing stochastic. One important part in fine line or stochastic plates is housekeeping, you can't set your platesetter in an area that has a lot of potential for dirt infiltrating the device. Our platesettter is in a dedicated room with its own environmental controls so we have fewer problems then someone who puts it in an area that is not as clean as it should be. Personally I would not even attempt 10 micron, the spots are just to small for a grained plate.

[J]

Thanks for the clarification macphenom,

Unfortunately my friend is losing business to two printers who are doing 10 micron FM on Creo (there I go again :-)). Both printers are doing it for 100% of their jobs (don't know what plates they use). Fuji/Screen weren't able to deliver any viable 10 micron FM demo plates to test on press so I think he'll end up going Creodak or continue to see an erosion of his customer base. :-)
Good to see your success with 20 micron - but cutting your plate productivity in half and putting your platesetter in a dedicated room with its own environmental controls seems a bit...extreme. Creodak don't seem to have those issues.

thanks again, John R

[bharatk]

10 micron for 100% of the jobs. How old are the printing machines? Which make? Could you tell us where these printers are located and the kind of paper they are using to print on? As far as I know you need a dedicated room for any kind of platesetter. Kodak or Screen or Fuji or Agfa.

[gordo]

Hi bharatk,

Thought I'd jump in to this thread. I wouldn't think John would like to reveal who his friend is competing against.

Here are two 100% 10 micron Staccato printers. Both have been doing this for years.

Metropolitan Fine Printers
They are a general commercial printer with customers all over the US & Canada
100% 10 micron FM for whatever jobs come through the door.
Creo/Kodak Trendsetter is about 8 years old and sits in the middle of their prepress dept
ManRolland 700 is about 7 years old


Generation Printing Home
Also a general commercial printer with customers
100% 10 micron FM for whatever jobs come through the door.
Creo/Kodak Trendsetter at least 6 years old sits in the open in their prepress room
Heidelberg Speedmasters of various vintages not new presses.

Our CtP was always designed to be used in an open environment. Our first CtP units were actually designed to be placed in the press room itself. And with most plate media you don't have to slow them down to 1/2 throughput in order to do FM 20 or 10 micron.

best, gordo

PS, Just to clarify. While we do have a number of customers doing 10 micron Staccato for 100% of their work, the majority doing Staccato in commercial presswork use 20 and 25 micron and reserve 10 for special work where it adds value and provides a competitive edge (e.g. specialty "high-end" catalogs, car brochures, art/photo books and the like)

[J]

Quite right. Thank you Gordon.

John

[bharatk]

Gordo
Thanks for the clarification. In India, where I am, we do not have the natural environment to have a CTP out in the open. Because of this the CTP's are always in an environment controlled room. Whether Kodak or Screen or Any other platesetter.
We have a lot of users doing Spekta and Spekta2 (Screen) but a few doing Staccato 25 and 20 on a regular basis and far fewer doing Staccato 10 on a regular basis. If my information is correct, all the printers doing regular 10 micron have done on their new presses not the old ones.
Thanks for the information on the two printers who are doing 100% 10 micron. Incredible.
Both are located in Vancouver !
You are correct when you say that the 10 micron - I would say 20 micron or lower - is reserved for those special jobs where it will give a competitive edge to the customer and as well as the customer willing to pay for the extra effort.
Regards
Bharat