There's no doubt that computer-to-plate technology, which arrived at NEXPO'96 with a vengeance, now attracts plenty of attention. The real question remains when CTP will make its way from the show floor to the plateroom.
"Newspapers are all interested in the technology and are looking at how they will go into it," said Dick Simonian, vice president of Pitman Co.'s newspaper division. At the same time, "new hardware keeps coming out, so no one is buying anything right now."
As many papers approach the point of full digitization in the pre-press area, making CTP a viable option for the first time, hurdles remain at the output end. They include speed, cost--existing systems range from $150,000 to nearly $400,000--and thermal-plate technology, improving by leaps and bounds but still unproven on large offset presses.
Still, many suppliers argue that the turning point is near. "We expect that in three-to-five years, there will be some new newspaper facilities that set up 100 percent computer-to-plate shops," predicted John Powers, vice president of Western Lithotech's machinery division. "The plate technology has improved, and the ability to digitize images is there now."
A sampling of new CTP products unveiled at NEXPO:
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