Streamlined Artistry

Presstek has focused its efforts on CTP development, in order to combat what the company identifies as "cost of error." Johnson states the term describes how, "the later on in production an error is caught, the more steps will have to be re-done to recover."

He uses a traditional imagesetter environment as example—a type error caught on press-check would necessitate backtracking several steps within the printing process. Whereas with CTP and digitally generated plates, Johnson argues, elimination of film and plate-burning allow the printer to keep the bad job on press and wait for good plates, in many cases within 10 minutes.