CtP Technology benchmarking

Comparative testing of thermal and silver CTP

Introduction

With various CTP technologies available from which to choose, claim and counter claim from the different suppliers has been both frequent and, at times, contradictory. Often these claims are not based on fact, rather they are based on the need of suppliers to position their own product range as the most attractive.

Thermal vs. Silver

Some suppliers claim that only thermal plate technology is capable of high quality imaging requirements. Agfa's unique technology position - the only supplier of thermal, silver and photopolymer plates - means that Agfa can independently compare the different plate technologies in a technically unbiased manner. This white paper does just that. Silver (Lithostar Ultra) and thermal plates (Agfa and non-Agfa) are imaged under similar conditions. The highresolution 200 LPI images on the plates are photographed and compared. The images are then printed; these printed images are photographed and compared. The results are there to judge for yourself - the conclusion you will see is that both thermal technology and silver halide CTP technology deliver printed results of the highest quality....