Newspapers, by definition, are in touch with the news. Among the first to know about nearly everything, the folks at newspapers are really on top of things  - mostly.

Yet newspaper executives making a decision about which computer-to-plate technology to invest in might not realize a certain trend that is emerging in newspaper CTP. The hottest thing in newspaper CTP?  Thermal.

Since last June’s Nexpo/SuperConference, newspapers and the web press printers that print newspapers have been buying thermal CTP systems at a rapid pace.

Specifically, numerous newspapers and publication printers have ordered thermal CTP systems from Creo in the last 60 days. What was clear at Nexpo were the distinct choices newspapers have concerning CTP and that newspaper executives are concerned about making the correct choice.

When faced with choosing between thermal, visible light and UV (computer-to-conventional plate), newspapers want to know what other newspapers are doing.

Take a look: Newspapers from the 18,000-circulation Southeast Missourian in Cape Girardeau to the 368,000-circulation Indianapolis Star have selected thermal CTP from Creo to digitize their plate production.

Commercial web printers whose business is newspaper printing have also seen the value of thermal CTP for producing newspapers. Evergreen Printing & Publishing in Bellmawr, N.J., a contract print site for The Christian Science Monitor and other newspapers, purchased thermal Creo Trendsetter CTP devices to replace the visible-light CTP system it had been using.

Thermal CTP is the standard in the commercial print market, which has a considerable head start on newspapers when it comes to CTP adoption. Printers found that the binary nature of thermal plate imaging gave them the process control to remove variables from printing. The promise of stochastic screening has long been known. Yet it is thermal’s binary nature that enables printing with stochastic screening in a daily production environment.

Newspapers are known for keeping technology for a long time - so a decision about which CTP system to select is cause for serious investigation. With so much confusing and frequently contradictory information about CTP systems in general circulation, it may be a challenge for newspaper production executives to be confident that they are “picking the right horse.”

Based on the number of newspaper printers that are picking thermal CTP, it appears that’s the hot new technology.

Paul Willis is director, newspaper market segment, Creo Americas Inc.

Have an opinion you want to share with our readers? Contact Chuck Moozakis at cmoozakis@newsandtech.com or by phone at 303.575.9595.