Rick Wills

CTP Opinions In four-color CTP, digital file preparation is more complicated and time-consuming; scanning, image editing, trapping and other prepress functions require more capable (and expensive) systems as well as highly-skilled prepress operators.-- --Frank Ervin, vice president of training and technology at Phoenix Color The biggest ad-vantage of CTP--better print quality--is most dramatic with four-color. --Steve Franzino, who is vice president of technology, Courier Corp "A black-and-white book typically is about 100 MB. A four-color book of the same page size is typically about 4 GB." --Craig Bauer, facilitator of information technology and digital prepress, R.R. Donnelley Roanoke A switch to a CTP

When it comes to computer-to-plate printing, more printers and publishers join the ranks of the believers every day, either experimenting with CTP with their four-color jobs, or switching to it by Tatyana Sinioukov Despite some limitations, as discussed by industry professionals below, CTP for four-color book production saves time and money and offers faster turnaround and higher quality than a conventional, film-based workflow. That's why more and more printers and publishers join the ranks of the believers every day, either experimenting with CTP with their four-color jobs, or switching to it completely. According to Frank Ervin, vice president of training and technology at

CTP Veterans Share Tips For Publishers Taking Their First Steps By Tatyana Sinioukov So what's a publisher to do when considering going CTP with four-color work? Do your homework, first and foremost, insists Rick Wills, electronic prepress manager, Banta Book Group, Menasha, WI. Tom Carpenter, director of book development for the North American Outdoor Group (NAOG), Minnetonka, MN, agrees, suggesting visiting a publisher who is already using CTP as a first step. "We all know people at other publishing companies, and the technology isn't proprietary--I can't see where anyone would have a problem showing you what goes on, as a professional courtesy," he muses. "You can't understand