Platesetters
Platesetters are imaging devices used in offset printing prepress to expose printing plates directly from digital data. They form the image on plates by writing with a laser according to a digital file, enabling computer-to-plate workflows that bypass traditional film-based platemaking. The plates are typically aluminum with a photosensitive emulsion or a polymer substrate, and the output is controlled by a RIP that converts page descriptions into raster data for the plate.
Exposed plates then undergo a processing sequence appropriate to the plate type. Traditional photosensitive plates require
Technologies include thermal platesetters and violet/blue diode platesetters, each designed for specific plate chemistries. Thermal platesetters
History and context: CtP systems emerged in the 1990s and 2000s, largely replacing film-based workflows in commercial,
Today platesetters remain a standard component of many offset prepress systems, supporting automated workflows and consistent