Talking about the Digital Workflow of Newspaper Printing Enterprises

For a newspaper printing company, it is not as simple as installing a CTP. The digital workflow of the CTP front-end must also be carefully selected because it relates to the economic benefits, production efficiency, and payback period of the printing company.

Most newspaper companies are digitizing their work processes step by step. The digitalization of the workflow can be achieved in four stages.
Prepare for CTP

No matter which phase you choose, you should confirm that the printing company has prepared for the adoption of CTP before the equipment installer arrives.

Phase 1: The simplest front-end CTP system

Although some newspapers have tasted the sweetness of using new high-performance RIPs, there are still newspapers that continue to use the existing RIP. The simplest front-end CTP system is generally made by hand using typesetting software, then RIP processing, and then sent to the controller software such as Print Console. As long as RIP can output 1200dpi TIFF files, this system is the basic system that can meet the needs of CTP.
However, not all RIPs can output 1200 dpi TIFF files. Some RIPs used by some newspaper offices output non-standard format files, and some have a resolution of only 1000 dpi or 1016 dpi. At present, many newspaper printing companies apply CTF and CTP processes simultaneously. They use the same RIP to output files for laser imagesetters and computer-to-plate makers. There are also good RIP files that accept customer RIP files or send them from the point of delivery.

The method from analog to digital is the conversion of files. There are several conversion tools on the market today, such as Creo's Copydot Toolkit. It can achieve the conversion of the file format and resolution without moiré. In addition, it can also convert from positive to negative.

If there is enough RIP capability, this simplest system can also be considered a fully functional system. However, you must manually determine which pages are on the left and which are on the right. Therefore, if a large number of printing plates are processed every day, the operator will soon be confused by which side of the plate the problem is. If so, the printer should choose an automated workflow.

The second stage: the basic process of automatic imposition

It is recommended that you use the workflow of automatic imposition, because the page group version is a labor-intensive job and it is easy to make mistakes. The use of automated workflows can help printers recoup their investment as soon as possible, reduce labor intensity, reduce costs, and obtain high-quality products.

In fact, no matter what process system is used, the imposition software suitable for newspapers should be selected first. The software accepts a single page transmitted by the typesetting system. Operators do not have to make their own, workflow software (such as Creo's PDF workflow software for newspaper printing - Synapse NewsManager) can do this work. It will wait until all layouts have been transmitted before generating the full-page output automatically. When the page is ready, it will be issued and will not be issued under a special order. This automated software makes everything simple. For example, if a newspaper is a black-and-white newspaper and another is a newspaper, then the software will clearly treat them differently when publishing.

When a lot of pages are exposed on a plate, it is often necessary to turn the page left, right, or center and adjust it over and over again. The use of software with imposition can do everything to avoid human errors and lead to the cancellation. Using this workflow, it is beneficial to control the production process and quality, and reduce the operating costs of newspaper pre-press departments.