What does the system do?

Cron CtCP X Plus is UV platesetter with UVP-4632E engine which exposes conventional CtCP plates.

 

Why did you choose this particular system? 

Basically, we needed UV technology which has now matured over the years. Cron is robust and a compact machine which has drum mounting technology. Its laser to plate distance ensures accurate focus. 

 

Did you look at any other similar system?

Yes, there were other CtCP systems which we looked at such as the Basysprint and Autosetter 800 CtPS.

 

Why did you make the purchase?

Cron was better in technology as compared to other systems available in the market. 

 

What features do you particularly like?

Well most of the features are excellent in terms of the platesetting technology, only we have particularly clubbed with Kodak Prinergy EVO, workflow which has an excellent ripping and better dot rendition.

 

Is there anything you wish it had that it doesn’t?

Not that I know of ...

 

How fast is it?

It has 32 laser diodes, which can output 25 plates of our Ryobi 680 at 2400 DPI and also capable of producing 35 plates at 1500 DPI.

 

What’s the quality like? 

Comparable to thermal. We can get 1% to 99 % at 200 screen ruling on TechNova Cronus plates. 

 

How reliable is it?

Very realiable. We have produced more than 20,000 plates with a rejection of less than 1 %. 

 

How easy is it to use?

We have been using CTP technology for the past seven years, so it was very easy to adopt to the different technology. Overall, the machine is very easy to use and can have a operator trained in less than three days. 
 

How much time or money has it saved?

It is saving us a lot of time on plate output as compared to our eight-up thermal system. We work for 16 hours and get more than two times the output in less time with a substantial savings in manpower and electricity. The consumable savings is the main attraction as we are saving Rs 125 per square metre on an annual comsumption of 25, 000 square metre. 

 

Would you say that it offers value for money?

Certainly it does in many ways as we will achieve machine ROI in less than two years only on savings of consumables.

 

Were there any difficulties experienced during the installation or after?

Nothing in particular.

 

What about the pre- and after-sales service? 

Our pre-press is strong and we have an experience of more than seven years in CTP. Nippon Color is a very reliable partner in after-sales service and software support. 

 

Who do you think the system is right for?

I personally think, one has to be very practical in making a decision while purchasing an CTP equipment, they should know exactly what type of client they are catering and what is the quality of print they require. 

 

Under what circumstances would you buy another?

We will not need one till we have used the machine capacity which is pretty high. We may decide something by Drupa 2016 and if we continue in the offset printing business.