What is direct to plate?
Direct to plate printing is a fairly new technology that eliminates the use of film in printing. Traditional methods of printing, called offset lithography printing, produced film on an imagesetter and used it to make a metal printing plate. The plate then went on a printing press to make the printed impressions. With direct to plate printing, the printing plate is produced directly from a computer, eliminating the need for film. Although direct to plate printing is a new technology, it is becoming very popular due to its cost-effectiveness. Production of film costs a great deal of time and money, and direct to plate has cut out the middleman in order to save on both. Direct to plate printing is also environmentally friendly and has a higher productivity rate. Without the use of film in the printmaking process, the technology has had to evolve and expand to maintain the quality of the prints. Some print manufacturers have brought out their own development techniques to make sure there
