Print Solutions Magazine, June 2002 -- Commercial Printing

"Trapping, knockouts and all of the other procedures you would do on film you do on a computer by using a mouse and punching in numbers," he says. "The idea of how things are done is pretty much the same. You're just doing it in a different venue."

2. The Benefits

CTP improves turnaround time, print consistency and print quality, Jones says. It requires less prepress time than offset lithography printing because it combines two processes into one. "It's less labor-intensive because you don't have to make film and strip it up," Jones says. He estimates that CTP reduces prepress time by 20-30 percent. CTP also produces crisper, more accurate images than traditional printing because it delivers clean, first-generation dots directly onto plates, reducing dot-gain. "You're getting image for image," Jones says. CTP can save manufacturers thousands of dollars because it requires fewer supplies and personnel and less equipment and floor space than offset lithography printing. Manufacturers often pass those savings on to customers. "It's a win-win for everybody," Jones says.

3. The Drawbacks

"People aren't used to the image quality," Jones says. "They're used to greater dot-gain and muddier images. At first, people are a little put aback by CTP because the job looks too good....It's such a departure from what they were getting before that it takes them some time to get used to it."

CTP also shifts responsibility from the printer to the digital file creator, Jones says. "To a certain extent, things that you could fix on [film] such as chokes and trapping are more responsibilities of the publishing end than of the printer," he says.

4. The Common Problems Firms Face

In offset lithography printing, there's more leeway in correcting mistakes on film, Jones says. CTP doesn't provide that advantage. "It's critical that files are clean," he says. This includes ensuring files are saved in CMYK format instead of RGB format, using correct specs, indicating accurate bleed amounts, ensuring all fonts and high-resolution images are imbedded in files, verifying spot-color usage, and more. Spending a lot of time fixing digital files negates the benefits of CTP, Jones says.

CTP also requires proper file management, he says. "For example, if you're going to rotate an image, rotate it in the native application. If it's a Photoshop® image, rotate it in Photoshop and then place it in your QuarkXPress™ document at 100 percent [resolution]. If you're doing a clipping path, don't have too many anchor points so it's not a huge file. If you're scaling an image, scale it in Photoshop, then bring it in to QuarkXPress at 100 percent instead of scaling it in Quark and losing resolution by blowing the image up too big."

Industry pros also need to ensure their computer hardware can handle the demands of CTP. Computers should have at least 256 MB of RAM and large hard drives that can store sizable files, Jones says. "It's not unusual to have a file that's 100 MB, 200 MB or 300 MB," he says.

5. The Ways to Learn More

Jones recommends printing pros stay up-to-date on new processes and the latest additions of Photoshop and Illustrator. Firms such as Adobe® and Extensis™ offer seminars in cities nationwide. Industry pros also can enroll in web CTP courses, participate in online CTP chats and more. "Go to your printer and ask them questions, instead of assuming how files should be," Jones says. Enlist the help of manufacturers' customer service and technical representatives.

—Kara S. Carpenter

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