Schurz Daily Converts to CTP

By: E&P Staff The Advocate-Messenger, Danville, Ky., has completed its transition to computer-to-plate output using an automated prepress solution from the Southern Lithoplate CtP Alliance consisting of Southern Lithoplate Viper 830 plates, Screen's PlateRite News 2000S thermal platesetter, Polkadots Software's Newsflo Lite PDF workflow management application, and the Nela HAO semiautomatic plate bender.

Among the first Schurz Communications dailies to adopt CTP, the Advocate-Messenger implemented its new workflow in May. The change reduced prepress and pressroom time and human error, according to Prepress Coordinator Stephen Fowler, who noted "improvements ... in both the commercial work and the newspapers we print here."

Besides the 10,500 daily 11,500 Sunday copies, the pressroom is responsible for The Interior Journal and The Jessamine Journal weeklies, which circulate 4,235 and 6,874 copies. Between newspaper and commercial printing, the operation images approximately 1,500 plates per month.

With Newsflo streamlining both proofing and platemaking, "once we receive the approved PDF file, we can output plates on the PlateRite and be confident the printed version will always match the proof," Fowler said in a statement. "We have virtually no reason to remake plates, which saves time."

Installation of Nela's three-pin HAO is slated for August. "The bender carries out several steps automatically," Fowler said. Meanwhile, an existing manual punch/bender has been modified for the new plates.