Remember the series of books entitled “Everything you ever wanted to know about ‘___,’ but were afraid to ask?”

Well, May’s computer-to-plate conference in Chicago, co-sponsored by Newspapers & Technology and Inland Press Association, was a manuscript for a new bestseller with “CTP” filling the blank space.

My favorite chapter was the one on how to prepare your operation for CTP. Vendors offered excellent advice while users shared their sometimes-painful journeys, giving valuable lessons along the way.

The two-year CTP evaluation process experienced by The Globe and Mail in Toronto caught my attention. Andy Ritchie, the newspaper’s vice president of production, called out the points of operation that require scrutiny and emphasized the importance of properly training your staff.

For Ritchie, converting to CTP has been an eye-opening experience. He strongly recommends choosing a vendor who offers an upgrade path; one who can fill your long-term goals.

The Globe and Mail is one of Canada’s two national newspapers. It prints out of six sites and runs nine presses to accommodate the paper’s roughly 400,000-copy daily run.

Because the paper appeals to an up-market audience — ergo, fussy advertisers — management puts as much emphasis on quality as it does on productivity. So, quality control has always been a high priority for The Globe and Mail. CTP, however, forced the production group to redefine quality parameters.

Identifying quality parameters

Ritchie could not stress enough how important it is to prepare your staff for handling the new quality paradigm. He told conference attendees how important it is to continually monitor press variables, including mechanical condition, to maintain consistent quality. This includes everything from testing for dot gain and ink densities to monitoring the deterioration of blankets and cylinders and maintaining registration.

In terms of the CTP system, there are three main components that affect the quality of the workflow — the printing plate, the imager and the plate processor. Ritchie offered four factors that can impact plate exposure: the laser intensity, laser focus, cleanliness of the laser path and sensitivity of the plates, which can vary from batch to batch.

Plate processing comes with another set of variables: chemical strength, preheating and dryer temperature, baking and surrounding environmental conditions such as humidity.

“I recommend that before making a CTP investment, you identify at least two members of your staff who will be thoroughly trained on CTP,” said Ritchie. “That includes the manufacturer’s full training course.”

They also need to be trained in areas well beyond what the manufacturer can offer, he added. He also recommended including the cost of training as part of your capital expenditure.

“CTP lines are high-maintenance,” stressed Ritchie. “You must prepare your staff to be self-sufficient, not only with the handling of software and hardware, but with variables of material and the environment. Consultants and industry experts are incredibly expensive. You need to plan to have your own in-house knowledge.”

Not to worry

It isn’t all that difficult — or expensive, according to Ritchie. To prove his point, he provided a list of very good, inexpensive ($600 to $900) courses that are available from a number of well-known institutions:

• RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology), Rochester, N.Y., www.rit.edu

— Matching Proof and Press Color Control for the Production Pressroom

— Web Offset Materials Interactions

— CTP — Maximizing the Opportunities

— Matching Proof and Press & Color

— Control for the Production Pressroom

— Lithographic Troubleshooting

— Web Offset Materials Interactions

• CMYK U Learning Center, Millersburg, Pa., www.cmyku.com

— Advanced Press Operator training course

• GATF (Graphic Arts Technical Foundation), Pittsburgh, www.gain.net

— Fine Tuning Your CTP & CTP and Digital Proofing

• IFRA/NAA (Technical Solutions), Vienna, Va., www.naa.org

— On-site CTP acceptance testing

So, in addition to speeding the platemaking process and improving the quality of the printing, you’ll have a happier crew. Which is another reason why CTP is worth the investment.

Rosemarie Monaco is the chief executive officer of Group M Inc., a marketing communications and consulting firm specializing in the graphic arts. Send comments and questions to rmonaco@groupm.org.