CTP - Computer to Plate
Suprasetter A74 finds Huyton home
Thursday 20. March 2008 - Express Offset is finally taking delivery of a CtP system four years after building a room ready for it. Forward planning meant there was a removable wall through which a Suprasetter A74 was installed last week.
“The time is right; we are at a volume to justify the investment,” says managing director Bob Higham. “We are taking this route to cut costs, free up one man for other tasks, to improve plate quality and to create more factory space by removing a very large imagesetter.”
The Huyton company looked at a few systems but came down in favour of the Suprasetter because it uses Heidelberg equipment extensively and know it is reliable and because the operator had Suprasetter experience and expressed a preference for it.
“The system is semi-automatic but we are forward-looking and we like the fact it is upgradeable in terms of speed and cassette loading,” says Mr Higham. “We are funding the investment through a consumables deal, repaying the capital cost as we call off Saphira Chem-free gummed plates. We anticipate using over 1,000 plates a month.”
Both B2 and B3 Heidelberg presses are used at Express Offset, which also has in-house finishing facilities. The company describes itself as a “short run, four-colour printer” which produces a broad range of commercial jobbing work.