Refurbished Computer to Plate Equipment is an Appealing Option

Refurbished CtP Equipment BannerRefurbished computer to plate equipment is an appealing option for many printers because it costs a lot less than new equipment and usually includes all the same functionality.

There are several factors printers should consider when buying refurbished computer to plate equipment based on their needs and the seller’s refurbishing process.

What Does Refurbished Mean?
It is important to understand what refurbished CtP equipment is. Refurbished CtP equipment should function as well as new equipment. The refurbishment process is intended to return a product to manufacturer’s standards, which includes: complete inspection, replacement of worn parts, recalibration, cosmetic maintenance, and confirmation that the equipment is in excellent working condition.

How Much Do I Want to Spend on This Device?
Determine your budget. If your company is looking for quality without the cost, refurbished equipment can be 30 to 70 percent less expensive than new devices.

What Do I Like?
You also must assess which equipment you are currently using. Consider which features you like on your present device and what technological innovations have been made since your equipment was manufactured. If the newest technology is similar to your current model, refurbished may be the best option so you can eliminate the learning curve on purchasing new equipment. You can replace non-working CtP equipment you currently use with the same unit that has been refurbished and is fully-functional.

What Warranty is Offered?
New CtP systems come with the Original Equipment Manufacturer’s (OEM) warranty, which covers software and hardware defects under normal condition of use. Many refurbished devices come with warranties, but these may be limited in time or coverage. Check to make sure the device is covered.

What are the Levels of Refurbishment?
Used CtP equipment can be reconditioned to different stages of refurbishment depending upon the needs of the customer:

  • Cosmetic Refurbished CtP Equipment is often nothing more than a used pieces of equipment that has been cleaned and tested to be in correct working order and nothing more has been done
  • Parts Refurbished CtP Equipment occurs when parts within the machine do not pass inspection for manufacturer’s specifications and need to be replaced. Those parts can either be from the OEM or removed from another used CtP system.
  • Fully Refurbished CtP Equipment is used CtP equipment that has been fully refurbished and restored to its original, like-new condition. In some cases, a refurbished unit may even receive enhancements that make it superior to the original unit. Full refurbishment usually requires both cosmetic improvements and major parts replacement.

Does It Still Have Support? 
We covered this in detail in part one, but just to reiterate it’s usually best to purchase Refurbished CtP equipment from someone who has the support of the OEM (see Part One)

What Else Am I Looking For?
Finally, prioritize your requirements for the device you are purchasing. Factor in how long you need the device to last. How frequently do you purchase equipment? You also want to be sure the company you are working with has a reputable refurbishing process. Are the service engineers certified and trained by the OEM? How long has the company been refurbishing CtP equipment? Do they refurbish in house or outsource?

By asking yourself these questions, you will be able to find the most appropriate refurbished system and save money for your company.

In part three we will detail DEI Systems refurbishing procedure for ECRM Mako CtP platesetters.

Related Articles
Part 1 of the Refurbished CtP Series – Not All Refurbished CtP Systems are Created Equal

Related Topics
Customers who have purchased refurbished equipment from DEI Systems
How we’re different

Save Money with Our Chemfree CTP Violet Plates

Printing Industry Photo

If you are currently using a ctp violet plate that requires plate developer, replenisher and gum/finisher, it’s time you take a look at our Chemfree CTP Violet Plates. The cost of the chemfree violet plate is usually very competitive with even the cheapest violet plate that requires a plate developer, replenisher and gum/finisher. But where you’ll see a significant savings is in the chemistry.

Let’s say you are a small to medium size newspaper with an ECRM Mako CtP system and a Glunz & Jensen Raptor 68 plate processor. You use approximately a thousand 23 1/16″ x 35″ .008 violet plates per month that require developer, replenisher and gum. If you replace that plate with our chemfree plate and gum, you will totally eliminate the cost of developer and replenisher, and your yearly cost for gum will only be about $1,200. This is probably 1/3 of what you are paying yearly for developer, replenisher and gum/finisher.

We just recently did a cost analysis for a small newspaper using only 300 plates per month. In this instance our chemfree plate was actually about $0.15 more per plate or $540 more per year than what they are currently paying for plates. However, when we calculated what they are spending in plate chemistry, (developer, replenisher, finisher/gum) they are spending over $2,000 more per year than what they would be spending on our chemfree gum, remember our chemfree plate requires no developer or replenisher.

In addition to saving money on chemistry, customers have let us know about these advantages when replacing the development/replenisher with the VCF plate and Chemistry Free Gum. Below is a summary of the key benefits:

  • The VCF chemistry free plates can be use with existing violet CTP and processors systems. No hardware changes are required.
  • The CF Gum is much easier to work with by operators and much easier to clean up when a full change is required. Customers have indicated that they have saved approximately 50% time on clean up.
  •  A neutral (PH 7) gum normally does not have to be processed before disposing. Customers have been able to turn off their Metafix type devises saving both a step and additional chemistry for the unit to process developer before dumping.
  • The CF plate can use a Water Top-Up method to lower chemistry free gum costs and extend the life of the gum in the processor for the clean up phase.

In a summary, the VCF plates are easier to work with and remove many of the requirements on disposal of the higher PH developer chemistry.

Let us do a plate cost analysis for you to see how much money and time we can save you by switching to our chemfree violet plate. Call us for your cost analysis 864.269.9662

6 Reasons Why You Should Buy Your Glunz and Jensen Platewriter or Newswriter from DEI Systems

Everyone says that their business is the best and they have the best prices, but why should you care? I mean, how do you know they aren’t just pulling your leg?

Besides, it’s not like you are interested in hearing another sales pitch … right?

That’s why I’m not going to be salesey. Nope, I’m going to be completely honest. Because you deserve to know the truth.

So here goes:

If you are looking around for dealers to purchase a Glunz and Jensen Platewriter from, then read on. If you are not interested in saving time and money, then I thank you for your attention … you are free to go.

If you buy a Glunz and Jensen machine from anyone else, you are making a colossal mistake

[Read more…]

Thermal or Violet Plate – Which is Better? Part 3

Obviously there are pros and cons with both technologies. Thermal offers the user super high quality output, very long run lengths, and a wide variety of plate choices including processless, all with minimal environmental concerns. The downside of thermal is the higher acquisition cost, higher maintenance cost, and less speed compared to similarly priced violet systems.

So the question becomes, is the lower cost of violet technology worth it, given the quality, environmental, and plate choices you will have to make? Can the higher purchase price and maintenance cost of a thermal platesetter be justified? It is up to each buyer to decide which technology is the right choice for their location.

Thermal or Violet Plate – Which is Better? Part 2

What about run length: Thermal plates offer longer run lengths, but to achieve this, they must be baked. Unbaked run lengths can be anywhere from 100,000-350,000, but when baked, thermal plates can exceed 1 million impressions. Processless thermal plates can give run lengths of 100,000 impressions. Violet plate run length varies among manufacturers, from 100,000 to 250,000. Violet plates can also be baked to yield even longer run lengths .

What about plate cost. The most expensive plates are processless thermal plates. We are finding that cost per square foot on plates that require chemistry are about the same with both technologies. You will however find that your chemistry cost may be a little more with violet.

[Read more…]

Thermal or Violet Plate – Which is Better? Part 1

Thermal and Violet are the two primary technologies used in computer-to-plate systems. So which is better.

We will give you the pros and cons of each technology to help you decide which is better.

The first concern we all have is quality, although thermal is capable of producing super high quality unless you need line screens well above 200 lpi the quality that violet is capable of producing will be more than expectable.

In this economy we are all very concerned with cost, in most instances violet systems are less expensive.

[Read more…]

The Beginning of Computer to Plate (CTP)

CTP technology evolved from computer-to-film (CTF) technology which we call imagesetters. There are two types of imagesetters, drum and capstan. With drum imagesetters the media is vacuumed to the internal surface of the drum and exposed by a laser beam reflected by a mirror (or mirrors) mounted on a high speed spinner motor.

[Read more…]

An Introduction to CTP

Since 1978 when I started working for Compugraphic I have witnessed quite an evolution in the prepress slice of the printing industry. Since my days as a service technician with Compugraphic, I have witnessed the advancement of platemaking technology from a multi-stepped process that involved typesetters with RC paper (remember the Compugraphic Editwriter), cameras and film, to today’s technology of imaging directly to the printing plate. This journey has resulted in an abundance of knowledge, in these upcoming articles, I hope to impart as much of that knowledge as possible. Although by no means all-inclusive, this information should prove practical to those who are considering purchasing CTP equipment in the near future. [Read more…]

New Tech Allows You to Leverage Inkjet and Wide-format Printers for Computer to Plate

Inkjet printing has progressed by leaps and bounds in the past decade. Improved print heads make it possible to produce excellent screening by decreasing the size of the dot.

Along with significant advances in the print engines, inkjet printers are also much faster than they were just a few years ago. Many of today’s inkjet printers can be bundled with a state of the art software RIP, allowing commercial printers, quick printers and screen printers to use these systems as computer to film and computer to plate systems. With the right combination of hardware, software, ink and film, a screen printer can achieve densities of close to 4 on clear film for their film positives. [Read more…]

Inkjet Computer to Metal Plate for Newspapers

Should you consider using an inkjet based computer to plate system to make plates for your newspaper? That depends, if you are a smaller newspaper that can live with 9-10 plates per hour and run lengths of 50,000 impressions on press it may be the perfect solution. If you are a larger paper that needs much more than 10 plates per hour it just wouldn’t be fast enough to keep up with production. But for the smaller newspaper, inkjet CTP is a very affordable, metal computer-to-plate system. [Read more…]