In USA and Japan, CTF is transferring only in the second hand market. We may say it is CTP era, today. Although there were many CTP installed, but why CTP can not be sold into the big mid-end market? Almost all the potential customers – the printing company with prepress department had already installed CTP. And the majority of the printing company without a prepress department can not decide how to purchase a CTP together with an investment of a new department of prepress. We must understand the reason why the business owners invested a new technology, they want to cost down and maybe lay off some employees, absolutely not to provide more job opportunities.

Now you knew the real world problem in CTP market, all the CTP salesmen were selling CTP in a wrong way. They sell CTP with a software called “RIP”, that means a department of prepress must be ready to solve the difference before and after ripping, let alone a great piece of workflow. Prinergy or Apogee can not be installed in a printing company, if they have no prepress at the beginning. No chance!

How can we persuade a printer to install the CTP?
Try this one, “CTP is as simple as like a laundry machine, you put a digital film in, push a button, it will come out a CTP plate” so-called “digital film” is the 1-bit TIFF pages or signature. If something wrong on the digital film, user can find it as easy as a damaged film. And the content can not be changed like a real film working perfectly in the existing printing press workflow. You invest a CTP to replace a conventional platemaking machine, not the imagesetter in the prepress departments.

Today, Agfa Apogee, Creo Prinergy providing 1-bit TIFF proofing, 1-bit TIFF archive, even 1-bit TIFF nesting for their CTP customer. This is clear that CTP can only accept 1-bit TIFF at the last stage. Just like the conventional film, today. The printer accepts film, because film is reliable and can not be changed by the printer. And the traditional proof was made by this film, also. The responsibility between the printer and prepress house is clear and no gray area.

When a customer ask to print second time with the plates he used 3 months before, How dare you ripping the PDF files again and print it with the new CTP plate? Will you make another proof once again? That is why all the workflows reprint the CTP plate from the 1-bit TIFF archive?

postRIP solution provides all the necessary tools for CTP based on digital film, the ripping job can be done by the service bureau who had RIP.