Computer-to-plate (CTP) printing, which eliminates the need for film and reduces turnaround time, has emerged from its somewhat awkward infancy and moved into mainstream adolescence. Among the respondents to the 1998 Catalog Age Benchmark Report on Production (see page 71), 46% are printing via CTP versus 30% last year; and 48% of those not using CTP say they are considering switching.
“At this point, CTP technology seems to be in place, and the quality and durability of the plates have improved,” says Lee Webster, director of technology for printer R.R. Donnelley’s Premedia Group. At the same time, he says, “equipment costs will fall over the next few years, which is typical of [printing] technology once it matures.”
“CTP printing costs seem to be comparable to printing costs with film as part of the process,” says Dan Nuthals, president of Madison, WI-based Big Toe Sports, a fully digital 64-page catalog of soccer gear with a print run of 250,000.
More plates to go around In CTP’s beginning stages, manufacturers said that the aluminum metal used in the plates cost at least 20% more than the polyester used in traditional printing plates, an increase that was passed on to printers. But that’s no longer the case. CTP plates now cost printers around $1.25 per square inch, compared to $2.50 per square inch a few years ago, according to Dr. Joseph Webb, partner at Trend-Watch, a research company that monitors the printing industry. “As with any new technology, prices are high as manufacturers field-test their products,” Webb says. “But as these products achieve better track records and more products enter the market, prices will come down.”
Already, increased competition is forcing manufacturers such as Kodak, which has long dominated the market, to keep prices in check. “In May 1997, there were only about three plate-setter manufacturers in the market,” Nuthals says. “But now there are a lot more options available, forcing all manufacturers to compete on the same pricing scheme.”
Not only are more plates on the market, but print technology manufacturers are developing machines that can accommodate plates from more than one manufacturer. “As printers, we have more plate choices, which keeps the cost of the plate down,” says Mike Baker, prepress manager at Maple Grove, MN-based commercial printer Banta Catalog Group. “This reduces our costs, which ideally should reduce the cost for the end user.”
But despite the decline in plate prices, CTP can still cost more than traditional printing. Not only does the total plate cost depend on variables such as the emulsions used for processing, but printers are still investing in new print machinery-and passing on those costs to customers.
In fact, at this point, the savings catalogers are enjoying from CTP stem primarily from the elimination of film and film-based proofing. Some mailers are saving as much as 20% in material costs after switching to CTP. A cataloger with a 96-page-or six-signature-book, for example, could save $50-$100 per signature in film costs. Add the elimination of film-based proofs, which can cost $150 per signature, and the cataloger could shave $1,200-$1,500 per issue in prepress expenses. (Without a film-based proof, however, catalogers must rely on the computer screen as a proof.)
More printers onboard Acceptance of CTP technology and the presence of more products on the market have convinced more traditional offset printers to invest in CTP equipment. According to market research firm Trend-Watch’s April 1998 survey of 3,000 commercial printers (of which 700 responded), 29% say they will install CTP equipment over the next 12 months.
Catalog printer Dingley Press, for one, plans to convert all of its catalog clients, which include Edmund Scientific, Rue de France, and Light Impressions, to CTP. The Lisbon, ME-based printer recently installed its first M3000 Sunday Press, a machine that can produce high-quality printing at a rapid 16 pages per minute, providing even shorter press time.
“CTP seems to be the way the industry is headed, but it can be very expensive,” says Bill Braley, Dingley’s vice president/general manager. “Because our clients are more mom-and-pop catalogers, we don’t want to charge more to justify the cost of the equipment. With the M3000 and by maximizing our digital workflows, we can cut down our labor costs and therefore don’t have to charge extra for CTP work.”