Discussion on Several Problems of Large-scale Production Application CTP System in Newspaper Industry
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A hot topic in China's newspaper industry in 2000 was CTP. Following the previous two years of the CTP system, the Yangcheng Evening News and the Beijing Daily, this year's CTP has successively reported newspapers such as Hubei Daily, Wenhui Xinmin and Zhejiang Daily. Although most newspapers have not yet acted, the attitude towards the CTP system has changed from watching to serious attention, at least no one has denied the prospect of CTP application in the newspaper industry. Yangcheng Evening News has introduced the CTP system for experimental production since 1998. Since the transfer to production in 1999, the basic configuration of the two sets of CTP systems (one flat type, one set of outer drum type) has not changed and can be adapted. The requirements for continuous production in the reporting process. Relatively speaking, the flat CTP system is fast and highly automated, and the external drum CTP system has higher precision but slower speed. However, for the traditional laser phototypesetting system, the advantages of the two types of CTP systems are obvious, but which one is more suitable for the newspaper industry. From the application practice of more than two years, compared with the CTF system (from computer to film, that is, the traditional laser phototypesetting system), the advantages of the CTP system are mainly reflected in the following aspects:
1. The process is simple and efficient.
The traditional CTF has to go through the formation of the required large sample files (sometimes without the need for a joint version, such as four-open format), RIP processing, laser imagesetter film, punching, manual inspection of alignment accuracy, artificial imposition, printing 8 steps of punching and bending, etc., a set of four sets of film on the color film to the plate making process of the PS plate takes about 50-60 minutes. Due to the large number of manual links, it is easy to produce human error and requires multiple quality control links.
CTP system only forms a large sample file, RIP processing laser prints the PS version of the automatic punching curved version (automatic punching and bending can also be manually processed, but one more process) 3 processes, a set of off-color version A total of four PS plates are made in less than 20 minutes. Can save a lot of manpower, work space and corresponding consumables.
2. High degree of automation and good plate making quality
Although the CTF system process can improve the automation level by adopting some technical means, such as the system of automatic continuous drying line, it cannot cancel the processes of laser phototypesetting, punching, artificial imposition. Due to the many manual operations, quality control is difficult and human error is easy to occur. Basically, remote control and routing are not possible. The CTP system has a high degree of automation, high system precision, and the quality of the produced PS version is consistent, enabling remote control and routing.
3. Promising prospects for development
The CTP system is one of the new technologies widely used in the international printing industry in recent years, and has been widely used in commercial printing and newspaper printing. Internationally, the requirements for environmental protection are getting higher and higher, and various laws and regulations are becoming more and more strict. Objectively, it provides an environment for the elimination of high-contamination traditional film industry and the introduction of new low-pollution systems and materials. China still has a considerable distance from the international advanced level in this respect. The traditional high-polluting industries will still exist and even develop in a certain period of time. However, high-quality laser imagesetters and CTP systems are currently not manufactured in China, and they are basically imported. This is a reality faced by the domestic printing industry. The upstream equipment and systems have changed, and the back-end materials and corresponding application systems and processes have to be changed. Nowadays, the printing industry from the international advanced countries from CTF to CTPP has become a reality. Whether we are conscious or unconscious, we will inevitably be affected and impacted by such a general trend. From the perspective of the technical performance, cost of use and development of consumables, the development prospects of CTP systems are relatively optimistic.
There are also some problems in the application of CTP systems in the newspaper industry, especially in the domestic newspaper industry. These problems restrict the application of CTP systems to a considerable extent. First, the photosensitive PS version used in the CTP system is more expensive than the conventional PS version currently used, resulting in higher cost of use, especially during periods of mixed CTP and CTF. Of course, if all CTP systems are used, the CTF system will be phased out, which can greatly reduce the manpower, workplace and film, film and consumables used in the PS version. In general, the combined use cost is not much different from CTF. With the gradual expansion of the application scale of the CTP system in the domestic and international newspapers, the price reduction of the corresponding plates and consumables is inevitable. But we can't determine the time and magnitude of the price adjustment now, it can only be considered a trend. Second, the traditional laser photo-sequencing system has not changed the typesetting (including news content and advertising) since the replacement of the typesetting. All the technological advancements and upgrades have been made - generating large-scale documents - RIP and laser photo - - Chong film - imposition - printing version - printing process - punching curved version - the process of printing on the machine (the process here includes computer typesetting, and the process in point 1 above) Different, the same below). It is only in the different parts of the whole process, replacing the aging equipment with a new generation of better performance equipment, or using advanced technology to automate a certain part of the process to save manpower and improve efficiency. Therefore, since the laser phototypesetting system has replaced the typesetting of the typeface, each upgrade is an improvement of the efficiency of the specific operation link for the user, and the process control and the process do not need to be adjusted accordingly. There is almost no essentiality in the whole process of newspaper publishing. Impact. Of course, there is no way to provide more time for the editing department to postpone the deadline for writing. There is not much room for expansion for rich content and more advertising, or to provide better advertising services. The application of the CTP system has fundamentally changed the traditional process and changed into typesetting (including news content and advertising) - generating large-scale documents - RIP and laser printing - punching and bending - on-machine printing. To understand from a literal process, it seems that the first two links are the same, but the substance is different. From the typographical link, the processing of news content has not changed. If the advertising layout does not involve the advertising film from the customer, it is not different from the original process. However, in actual operation, the advertiser often sends a film advertisement. In the traditional process, the film advertisement draft can be directly put in the imposition section, and the process in the CTP system cannot do this. In this way, in the process of typesetting and generating large-scale documents, the film advertisement must be re-converted into an electronic file, or the advertiser is required to provide an electronic file. From the perspective of business operations, there are many benefits to requiring customers to provide electronic documents, but there is a process of gradual promotion. At this stage, it is unrealistic to require customers to provide electronic documents. Therefore, in the two processes of typesetting and generating large-scale documents, there is a problem of solving the conversion of film drafts into electronic files, and there must be corresponding technical means to solve this problem. The current more realistic solution is to convert a film draft into an electronic file via a scanner with a dot copy function (COPYDOT). In the application practice of the Yangcheng Evening News for more than two years, the advertisements that were reported after the film draft was scanned were printed on the newspaper, and the customers accepted it. In the later process, the simplification of the process, the computerization of the system, and the improvement of the degree of automation require the operators to have higher quality. After necessary training, the plate making workshop in the traditional process cannot be simply converted into a CTP workshop. The daily operation and maintenance of the equipment should be standardized, and the workplace temperature, humidity and air cleanliness requirements are high. The reduction of system operators is based on the premise that the technical quality requirements of operators are greatly improved. At the same time, changes in the process will have a series of impacts on the organization of the entire production process, the configuration of the department structure, and the requirements of personnel. We can't expect the original organizational structure to remain intact. Adding a CTP system can produce good results. Each unit has the specific conditions of each unit and must be adjusted according to the actual situation in order to maximize the benefits of the system.
Based on the use of the CTP system for more than two years, the Yangcheng Evening News Group has carefully summarized the experience in use. In conjunction with the construction of the new printing center, after a thorough and careful investigation and investigation, the AGFA PO-LARIS200/100 series CTP system was selected through bidding. The first phase of the project, in conjunction with the printing capabilities of the printing press, is equipped with four CTP systems.
The system includes CTP mainframe, punching machine, automatic punching and bending machine, special process management system and dedicated power supply, etc., which constitutes four fully automatic CTP production lines. All new CTC systems are used in the new printing center, no longer use CIF. system. It is expected to be completed before May next year and will become the largest newspaper CTP system in Asia after completion.