Hot plate-setters were sold to a product packaging customer in Brazil. Heidelberg currently has 5,800 CTP installations worldwide, while DI only has 2,000 units.
Berndel Schreier, CEO of Heidelberg, said: “The market's demand for new entry-level models is very encouraging. The demand for small and medium-sized printing companies is particularly urgent because they value the improved CTP technology for print quality.†Heidelberg also decided Developed new Anicolor inking machine technology, combined with flexible CTP solutions to replace direct imaging presses. The new Speedmaster SM 52 with the Anicolor Inkless Area Quick Inking Unit dramatically reduces preparation time and displays colors in up to ten sheets of paper. Jürg Konrad, Commercial Director of Fotorotar, Switzerland, discovered that with Anicolor technology, “the correct color can be printed from the 20th sheet.â€
Agfa is one of CTP's largest brands and the main supplier of this technology in the newspaper market. It has installed thousands of CTP devices. The company said that the number of its CTP devices continues to grow. Tony King, Marketing Manager of Visible Light Plates, said: "As the market places more emphasis on thermal and UV imaging technology, the demand for CTP will continue to grow rapidly. No chemical technology provides a wider range of applications, easier operation and maintenance, As a result, Agfa has never been involved in direct imaging presses, but King said: “The on-board imaging is not as attractive as the CTP. It may be that the printers still like to print only on the press. Use the platesetter for off-line layout imaging."
Lüscher, developer of XPose Thermal and XPose Traditional Imaging Systems, is another manufacturer focused on CTP technology and one of the few companies willing to disclose the number of CTP devices. Lüscher installed 700 direct platemaking machines in Europe, 65 in Asia, 117 in North America and South America, and 50 in other regions, with a total of more than 900 and approximately 5% of the world's approximately 20,000 CTPs. Their performance is not far away from the ECRM, but the latter has a slightly larger number of equipment and has been engaged in this industry for a longer period of time.
The most important thing is to meet customer needs
Both DI and CTP have their own characteristics. The printing industry has a lot of opinions. How to choose depends entirely on its customers' requirements. Different markets may also have different preferences, but in any case, business requirements are still the dominant factor. l Brunner entered his career in 1978 and was the first to become a printer's accountant. He has since joined the prepress and publishing industries. She is currently the managing director of Digital Dots International Advisory Group and publisher of Spindrift magazine. She provides private consultants and editorial services for publishers and industry associations in various fields. His works often appear in major newspapers and magazines around the world, and he often serves as a speaker at conferences in Europe, America and Asia.