It is an inevitable trend for printing technology to develop toward computer-to-plate technology abbreviated to CTP. As an integrated multidisciplinary technology product, CTP system is an automatic production system integrating precision machinery and optical technology, electronic technology, color digital image technology, computer and software technology, new printing plate and material technology, automation technology and network technology, which has created another great technological revolution in the modern printing technology.

CTP’s advantage are that it can automatically process plates through computer without film output, which can be thrifty with films and developing materials, still more the manual make-up time. Many CTP users have the experiences in film printing-down. Much due to removal of film procedure and no influence from traditional preprinting technology quality the printed works through CTP have been improved greatly in quality. The printing plate after printing down are much better in quality because the influencing factors including dust and scrape on the film have been removed and the positioning becomes more accurate. In a word, the screen dots obtained through CTP plate processing technology are the first-generation ones directly delivered to the printing plate, of which edges are clean and keen, with fidelity to the original text. Its printing plate becomes more excellent due to removal of positioning procedure, and reprocessing plates will not happen due to inaccuracy of positioning. All of these have reduced a lot of time in plate proofreading prior to printing.