Despite
its benefits, computer-to-plate is still more often the exception than the rule
at small newspapers.
The
cost of CTP has kept the technology out of reach for many small publishers. With
hopes of changing that, Mitsubishi Imaging Inc. is marketing the NewsPro
DigiPlater CTP system, specifically designed for newspapers with circulations of
25,000 or less.
“It’s
a low-cost entry for a small paper, which was basically neglected in the past,
to get into all the benefits of CTP,” said Ronald Giancoli, national newspaper
sales representative for Mitsubishi.
Mitsubishi’s
CTP NewsPro is built upon ECRM Imaging System’s Bluefin platesetter and a
Colenta SP-68-OL plate processor specifically modified to run Mitsubishi’s
Silver DigiPlates.
The
system is packaged with the Harlequin 6.0 RIP and runs on a Dell platform.
Although Mitsubishi has only been marketing this system since March, the analog
version has been around since 1996.
“The
key for us is the SDP polyester plates,” Giancoli said. “Following Nexpo we
have a lot of interest in the NewsPro DigiPlater system with newspaper groups.
At this time we have a few dailies using our SDP polyester plates with other
imagesetters to produce their paper.”
Giancoli
said the price - under $100,000 - will be especially attractive to small
newspapers that are not able to pay upwards of $1.09 per square foot for plates
and conventional CTP units.
The
system, he said, will allow small newspapers to produce up to 150 plates per
hour. Mitsubishi guarantees 25,000 impressions per hour, but Giancoli said some
users are getting as much as 50,000 to 80,000 iph.
Mitsubishi’s
SDP plate has been around for years and Mitsubishi contends that it’s easy to
use and requires less chemicals and ink while still producing a detailed-enough
line screen for commercial work.
It
was just this spring that Mitsubishi began using ECRM Bluefins designed
especially for the SDPs.
In
addition to being financially feasible for smaller newspapers, Giancoli said the
NewsPro DigiPlater’s small footprint makes it a viable system for newspapers
with limited floor space.
ECRM
growing
Although
ECRM’s Bluefin is the integral part of the Mitsubishi’s NewsPro DigiPlater,
the company is taking its share of the small newspaper market pie with some
offerings of its own.
ECRM
will debut two low-cost CTP systems at IfraExpo 2003 this month, the ECRM News
CTP and ECRM Newsmatic.
The
ECRM Newsmatic, which uses violet imaging, is capable of 80 broadsheet plates
per hour and will be available for $84,500, ECRM said. The Newsmatic may also
prove attractive to larger papers that use multiple plate lines either to
achieve higher output or serve as backup.
ECRM
News is a manual-load system and is available for $70,000.
“News
CTP is as easy to operate as a contact frame,” said Peter Wilkens, vice
president of worldwide marketing for ECRM. “This means that newspapers can
move to CTP production with minimum change to their workflow.”
ECRM
News was designed to complement production on single-wide presses, Wilkens said.
