What CTP technology is more advantageous for my company, thermal or violet?

Making a choice of a CtP system is a serious decision. One of the dilemmas that the buyers are facing is choosing between thermal and violet laser technology. Both types of laser are the only viable options on the today’s CtP market, as other, older technologies has been abandoned for being too expensive and not productive.
Let’s take a brief look at both laser types.

Thermal laser was introduced in CtP devices by Creo in 1995. The technology is mature, reliable and proven in the field, as majority of CtP systems installed in commercial offset shops worldwide are thermal. Thermal CtP systems are offered by the major industry players like Kodak (Creo-Scitex), Screen, Heidelberg, Presstek, Agfa, and Fuji, as well as by some other, smaller manufacturers.

Violet laser (visible light) technology was introduced to the market in mid-nineties. The major CtP players were interested in developing this technology as it was significantly cheaper to manufacture. The visible light technology produced several generations of lasers over the years.  The earliest devices equipped with somewhat weak lasers were using silver based violet plates that produced aggressive chemical waste and has been banned or heavily taxed in USA and Canada. The later generations of visible light lasers use photopolymer violet aluminum plates that do not produce such an aggressive waste.

Here are some of the most discussed aspects of thermal vs. violet CtP plate technology.

Quality of print

The plates produced on thermal CtP devices allow for the best printing quality. The technology is capable of printing quality in excess of 300 lpi. It is good to keep in mind though, that not many printers are capable of producing such high-end print. The violet visible light CtP systems were traditionally the choice of the newspaper printers as they have quickly produced plates adequate for the web printing machines. In the recent years however the violet systems made its way to commercial offset shops, as new developments in photopolymer plate technology, assured higher print quality. Today the technology is typically used for printing up to 175 lpi.

Availability of plates

Thermal CtP systems give you the greatest choice of plates that you can use in your shop. Every major plate manufacturer (Fuji, Kodak, Agfa, Heidelberg, etc.) and a huge number of smaller ones (IBF, Southern Litho, Xingraphics , Toray and many more) offer thermal CtP plates. You can use any model of a thermal plate by any manufacturer on most of the thermal CtP systems.

As a result the plate prices are very competitive and affordable. Additionally the print shops can constantly monitor the cost of the plate material and switch to a most advantageous thermal plate at any time.

The choice of violet visible light photopolymer plates is relatively limited. The currently known manufacturers of photopolymer plates are Agfa, Kodak and Fuji, among the major manufacturers.

Buyers need to research the silver based plate availability when buying older violet CtP devices (i.e. certain models of Agfa Galileo, Agfa Paladio, Fuji Saber), as this type of plate material is simply not available in some countries.

Processless and chemistry-free plates

CtP thermal processless and chemistry-free plates are a very convenient option for many printers. These plates are widely available from a variety of plate manufacturers such as Fuji, Kodak, Agfa, Heidelberg, Xingraphics and many more.

The advantages of using this type of plates include:

-          Saving money on buying chemistry (you simply do not need it)

-          Elimination of the processor maintenance

-          No chemical waste disposal

-          Smaller initial investment in the CtP system (you do not have to buy a plate processor)

When considering processless and chemistry-free plates one has to remember that the productivity of a system will be somewhat slower, as the CtP needs more time to print such plate.  Overall the processless and chemistry-free technology is ideal for printers with medium and low plate volume.

Right now and for the foreseeable future processless and chemistry-free plates are not available for the commercial use in violet visible light CtP systems.

Room Requirements

Thermal CtP systems conveniently operate in daylight environment and do not require any special safelight conditions.

Violet CtP systems are sensitive to light and require yellow safelight room. If a violet system has a plate autoloader this requirement can be minimized.

Cost of service and maintenance

Thermal CtP systems use advanced technology therefore one has to account for service and maintenance cost. While there is a perception of costly laser replacement circulating in the industry, several important facts have to be noted:

Many thermal lasers consist of individual diodes that can be replaces one-by-one, thus lowering the laser maintenance cost. This technology is found in Screen PlateRite, Creo Lotem, as well as some Fuji and Agfa systems.

The thermal laser heads used in Creo Trendsetter and Kodak Magnus models are extremely  long lasting (especially when used in medium and low plate volume print shops).

Additionally there are more and more 3^rd party service organizations that offer repairs of the thermal laser heads at a fraction of a price offered by the manufacturers.

In violet CtP systems there is only one laser diode to replace, therefore the cost appears to be lower than in case of thermal CtP devices. While it is true that violet lasers are less expensive to manufacture, it is also true that some manufacturers are not selling them for substantially less to end-users.

A serious sevice issue for the violet CtP systems is the heavy maintenance of plate processors required, especially the ones for silver based plates.

What is the difference between process-less plates and regular CTP plates?

There are actually 2 types of plates that do not require chemical processing: chem-free plates and “true” process-less plates. The first type was introduced by Presstek in early 2000’s. Presstek’s Anthem plate was the first commercially available CTP plate that didn’t have to be chemically processed. Similar concept was then used by Agfa in their Azura plate.  Both Anthem and Azura require a stand-alone unit to clean off debris before plates can be put on a printing press. Thus, they are not considered process-free. The most popular brands of plates that are cleaned directly on the printing press are KodakThermal Direct and Fuji Brillia Pro-T.

How does your warranty work?

Our standard warranty covers full cost of repair/replacement of parts during the first 90 days after installation, or 120 days after customs clearance of the equipment at the destination port. Viprofix also provides free remote technical support during that time. If a part is found to be faulty during the warranty period, we will replace or repair that part at no additional cost to the buyer, except for the shipping/customs clearance charges. In many cases, bad part has to be shipped to Viprofix for exchange. After the original warranty expires on the equipment purchased from Viprofix, for additional 90 days we offer a 50% discount on spare parts.

Can I buy consumables from you?

Viprofix provides both regular (standard), low-chemistry and chemistry-free CTP plates, as well as imagesetting films. We are distributors of Xingraphics and DOT Works products. Our company carries consumables for all major brands of thermal plates for Agfa (Galileo, Xcalibur), Creo/Kodak (Trendsetter, Lotem and Magnus), SCREEN/Fuji (PlateRite) and Heidelberg (Topsetter). We also carry films and film chemicals for both HeNe and RLD type of imagesetters. Plates are sold in quantities of about 30 plates per order. The minimum shipment of film is 5 rolls.

Can I buy parts for my equipment?

Yes, we supply replacement parts for all the equipment we offer for sale and even for some older CTP and CTF models.
If you cannot find a part you need on our parts list, simply contact us and we will see if we have it.

Why do I need to return my bad part?

Some parts are sold on exchange basis which means that we want you to send us your bad part. This is the standard request that all the manufacturers of the prepress equipment have. Thanks to this policy we can offer you the lowest prices for the replacement parts.

How should I pack my laser head?

Please, pack your laser head very carefully to assure it is safe during transport. We recommend to pack it in a wooden crate or a carton box, at least 30” x 30” x 30” filled with styrofoam. We can send you one, as have these boxes available at the discounted prices to our customers. If you are an international customer please fill out the certificate of origin before sending your laser (You can download the form here). It will speed up the clearance process at the US customs.
If you have any doubts how to fill it out, we will help you to do it.

How long does it take to refurbish my machine?

It usually takes 5 to 15 business days to recondition a system, depending on the complexity of your order and the current schedule of our Service Department. Our experienced engineers will do their best to assure every piece of equipment will be working perfectly for a long time making it a great asset to your company.