Allion Printing Co. Ltd.
10 Floor Sze Hing Building
35-37 Lee Chung Street, Chai Wan, Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2558 6441 Fax: (852) 2897 5070
Home

About Us

F.A.Q.

Contact Us














    - ISBN Barcode

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  • Output to CTP or to Film?
  • The process of printing

    Output to CTP or to Film

    We have been asked a lot of times what should the client output to us, Computer-To-Plate (CTP) or Film?
    We welcome both media for printing and the cost is exactly the same to us. The decision should be made according to different requirements from different companies. Most decision can be made after answering the questions on the myth of CTP:

  • There are a lot of hypes saying that CTP will generate a better print out, is that true?
    The answer is yes because the dots' size will not be lost during the process of film-to-plate transfer. The trade-off is flexiblity.
    1. When using CTP, there is not much we can tune on the color of the print out. If the color is not exact what you like, you will need to output the plates all over again and the cost is huge. If we are using film, we can adjust the timing on plate exposure to control the color. We can even optimize a certain part's color without affecting the rest. This service is offered to client without charge most of the time.
    2. If there is anything wrong on the CTP (missing one word or wrong picture), All four CTP has to be output again ($250 x 4 = $1000). For film, We can make those correction on film easily without costing the client when they double check on the blue print. (Trust me on this, it happens very frequently).
    In conclusion, if you have enough time and experience to ensure you will output the perfect CTP everytime, CTP is the way to go. Otherwise, film offers much more flexibility.

  • I have the digital color proof on CTP. The print output must be right, right?
    Unfortunately, the answer is NO. The font used for digital proof is different from CTP output so that there is still a margin for error. We have seen it happened a number of times before and the client has to output the CTP again. Fixing the CTP is costly and time consuming because the error is usually discovered when the book is almost ready. The color proof/CTP mismatch happens mostly on complicated and/or mixed Chinese and English layouts.

  • Is it cheaper to output CTP directly?
    The answer is true only for certain case: for one time small book (A5) printing, CTP has a small advantage on cost. Otherwise, film output is still cheaper.
    If your book/flyer will be re-printed, CTP cannot be used at the re-print. The whole set has to be output again because the plates cannot be preserved after certain days or print quantity. On the other hand, film can be re-used even with a few updates. We will charge the cost of the plate. ($100/plate)

  • Do you charge extra on making up the plate from film?
    No, we offer this service for free. Client usually makes correction on the film after looking at the blue print and that is a free service also.
    back

    The process of printing


    back