First, PS version - the most commonly used photosensitive materials for printing
The PS version is a foreign language introduced from English. It refers to a presensitized plate, and English is Presensitized Plate. PS version is widely used in offset printing at home and abroad. At present, global production has exceeded 400 million square meters/year, and China's output is about 70 million square meters/year.
China's printing industry mainly uses the positive PS plate. During the plate making process, the image formed by it is the same as the image using the film manuscript; individual users use the negative PS plate. During the plate making process, the image formed by it uses the film manuscript. The image is the opposite. In foreign countries, countries such as the United States, Great Britain and the United States use the negative PS version, while other countries use the positive PS version. The difference in the main performance of various PS versions is also reflected in the speed, resistance, force, resolution, exposure and development latitude, vacuum time, vacuum adhesion, print contrast and so on. With the acceleration of people's life and production rhythm, the high-sensitivity PS edition is more and more popular with users. The research and development of the high-sensitivity PS edition is increasingly valued by PS makers.
China's printing industry mainly uses conventional-thickness PS plates, small offset printing systems mainly use small offset printing plates, and small offset printing plates use a plate thickness of 0.15 mm.
Over 20 years of reform and opening up, the rapid development of China's printing industry has promoted the rapid development of the PS industry. PS producers both at home and abroad have increased investment in PS production. In the near future, China will become the PS version. Big country of production.
As China's PS version has the advantage of price, the export volume is getting bigger and bigger. In the near future, China will also become a large exporter of the PS version.
Second, the CTP version - the most promising printing photographic material We entered the computer age, the growing development of digital printing, and promote the development of digital printing plate, digital printing plate we call the CTP version. The CTP version is also a foreign language introduced from English. It refers to a computer-to-plate format for computer-to-plate calculations. It is a new type of special PS version. It can directly receive computer-processed images, and ordinary PS version reception. Computer-processed images also require film as an intermediary medium.
The CTP plate is a research and development hot spot for printing photographic materials. With the increasingly mature research and development of the CTP plate, the applications in the United States and Europe have become more and more extensive. China has also developed rapidly and is the fastest in Guangdong. China's CTP version of research and development has also made great progress, Lekai Group Second Offset Factory, Beijing Normal University, Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences and other units in China's CTP version of the research and development of a leading position.
At present, the most widely used CTP version is the thermal CTP plate, which accounts for half of the CTP plate market. The most mature thermal CTP version is the negative thermal CTP plate, negative thermal CTP plate has a high resistance to print force, high resolution, but the need for warm-up is the shortage of the plate. Positive thermal CTP plate does not need to be warmed up, but the resistance and resolution must be further improved. The flush-free thermal CTP plate is available in the mechanism version, but the printing machine with the device version in the mechanism is expensive, and most printers can only look at Xinghan. Printing companies using thermal CTP plates may experience high levels of confusion in the operating costs of thermal CTP platesetters. The thermal CTP plate is more suitable for large printing manufacturers. Lok Kai Group's second offset printing plant has mass-produced negative thermal CTP plate for customers at home and abroad, and has already produced a positive thermal CTP plate for trial by users.
CTP version of the rising star is the violet laser CTP version, violet laser CTP version of the biggest advantage is to match the violet laser CTP platesetter violet laser scan head low cost, reduce the cost of CTP plate making, for medium-sized printing manufacturers have great The temptation, purple laser CTP version will continue to expand in the market share. At present, the purple laser CTP plate has been put on the market with a silver salt type violet laser CTP plate and a photopolymer polymer type violet laser CTP plate. Purple laser CTP version is more suitable for medium-sized printing manufacturers. Lokkai Group's second film factory has already produced a silver salt type violet laser CTP plate for trial by users.
Newspaper printing has the highest timeliness requirements. The newspaper industry uses the CTP version to require high sensitivity, and the silver salt blue-green laser CTP version meets the high sensitivity requirements of the newspaper's CTP version. Currently, it uses the CTP version in the newspaper industry. In the largest share, but the high operating costs of plate processing and the production and use of darkrooms have also limited its rapid development; the value of the photopolymer polymer-based green laser CTP is relatively low, and it is further expanded in the newspaper industry with the CTP version. The share in China is very favorable. The second film factory of Lucky Group has already produced silver salt blue-green laser CTP plate and photopolymer polymer green laser CTP plate for trial use by users.
In foreign countries, small-scale printing manufacturers mainly use silver salt type polyester plate base CTP plate, silver salt type polyester plate base CTP plate can use laser beam plate type mechanism plate, mainly used for small offset printing, only few users use it in China. Lekai Group's second film factory can produce silver salt type polyester plate CTP plate.
The technology of the ordinary PS version directly used in the CTP version also has certain development. The key is the development of the plate making technology. The core of this technology is the focusing and scanning of high-power UV light sources. Slow plate making is the bottleneck, and the plate making machine price is also influential. Ordinary PS version is directly used as an important factor in CTP technology. Once a breakthrough is made, this technology will become the most competitive CTP technology.
At present, it is in a state of multiple CTP editions, and it is hard to say which CTP version has an absolute advantage.
Third, printing film - the current important printing photographic printing material printing plate is currently an important printing photographic materials at home and abroad, although the development of printing film in foreign countries by the CTP version of the rapid promotion of rapid challenges, the current global production is still about 3 Billion square meters per year, China's output is about 10 million square meters per year; China is affected by the rapid development of the printing industry and the relatively backward development of the CTP technology, and the usage of printing film is still increasing rapidly.
Laser image film is still the most widely used material in the printing industry, and is widely accepted by users in offset printing and flexographic printing. The popularity of laser image films has great potential for development in China. The mature technology and portable convenience of laser image films are the technical factors that promote the further development of laser image films. The rapid development of private enterprises in China and the emergence of various platemaking centers are the social factors that promote the further development of laser image films. This technology is affected by the CTP technology in developed countries and is in a stagnant state of development. Among them, electronic color separation films of early technology are in a shrinking stage both at home and abroad.
Darkroom photocopying film is a traditional material for recording images in the printing industry. This material is subject to the laser beaming technology and is in a stage of rapid shrinkage. It is more obvious in developed countries and has a certain market in China and some developing countries.
The bright room copy film is a user-friendly transitional product developed on the basis of the dark room copy film. It can easily perform the copying operation of the print image under bright room conditions, and there is a certain market at home and abroad. Also in a stagnant state of development.
Fourth, the flexible version - the development of sustainable development of printing photosensitive materials for packaging and printing development has promoted the continuous development of the flexographic version, the extensive use of foreign flexographic version. The great development of packaging printing in China has promoted the continuous development of the flexographic version. The widespread promotion of the domestic flexographic version has also promoted the development of packaging printing. Flexo printing is mainly used for the printing of corrugated cardboard. Flexo printing is characterized by the ability to print slightly uneven media with high resistance to printing. Although the domestic sensitized flexographic printing plate has been developed for more than a decade, its price also has advantages and has been recognized by some users. However, the market for photographic flexographic printing plates in China is still dominated by foreign products.
CTP flexo is the latest achievement of the flexo edition. The plate maker is expensive and the use rate is a bottleneck that hinders the development of the CTP flexo. It is difficult to promote it in the near future.
The laser-engraved flexo is the main competitor of the photosensitive flexo, and the laser-engraved flexo does not yet make it easy for the printing industry to use. The photosensitive flexo is still an important material for the printing industry. Traditional hand-engraved flexographic plates can only be used in low-grade printing due to poor image quality and low labor efficiency.
Fifth, the screen version - special printing with photosensitive materials silk screen version is the choice of printing companies for shaped material printing, screen version of the latest technology development is CTP screen version, CTP screen round screen version is the printing manufacturer to increase the screen The higher pursuit of print quality and efficiency.
Screen printing is widely used in printing and dyeing companies and is also used in packaging and printing industries.
In short, the development direction of various printed photosensitive materials is in the direction of CTP.