Thermal CTP Plates | High-volume commercial printing | Aluminum substrate (99.7% purity, ASTM B209) Development Speed: 45 sec/plate (▲ vs Base: 60 sec, ISO 12647) | ▲ 30% faster imaging than industry standard (ISO 12647) High durability (500+ print runs) | Requires specialized thermal developers (▲ cost: $200/unit vs Silver Halide) |
Silver Halide CTP | Short-run printing, prototyping | Light-sensitive coating (ISO 12647) Development Time: 90 sec/plate (ASTM D5423) | Lower upfront cost ($120/unit) Flexible for small batches | Slower imaging (▲ 50% slower than Thermal CTP) Needs darkroom conditions |
Direct CTP Plates | High-end digital workflows | Photoconductive coating (ISO 12647) Imaging Speed: 30 sec/plate (▲ vs Thermal CTP, ASTM D5423) | Zero chemical waste (▲ eco-friendly) Direct laser imaging compatibility | Fragile substrate (▲ 20% shorter lifespan vs Aluminum) |
Conventional PS Plates | Traditional offset printing | Polystyrene base (ASTM D638) Developer Compatibility: 90% common chemicals (ASTM D543) | Widest chemical tolerance (▲ 50+ solvent resistances) Low cost ($80/unit) | Manual development (▲ 2x slower than CTP) High waste generation |
Inkjet Printable Plates | On-demand, variable data printing | UV-curable polymer coating (ASTM D822) Resolution: 2400 dpi (▲ vs Thermal CTP: 1200 dpi, ISO 12647) | Instant customization (▲ 100% variable text/images) Direct inkjet compatibility | Limited durability (▲ 100 print runs max) Higher per-unit cost ($250/unit) |
Hybrid CTP Plates | Mixed-run environments (short + long) | Dual-layer substrate (Aluminum + polymer, ASTM B209/D822) Adaptability: 30-500 print runs (▲ vs Thermal CTP) | Flexibility for mixed workflows (▲ 2x use cases) Medium cost ($180/unit) | Compromised speed/durability (▲ 15% slower than pure Thermal CTP) |