Images Magazine December 2016

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56 IMAGES DECEMBER 2016
COMPUTER-TO-SCREEN & PRE-PRESS PF
CTS: Telling it like it is
It’s all very well reading about the different computer-to-screen (CTS) systems on offer, but what’s it like to actually
use them? Four screen printers discuss the pros and cons of their CTS systems
It saves money, it saves time, it
gives consistency, it improves quality”
With the i-Image, the image is always in the
correct position
Artie
with the
Spyder II
The Spyder II
Artie Pallari, managing director, Fanela
How long have you had the Spyder II? We’ve had
it for nearly two years, with it being on trial for about a
year
Why did you choose it over the other models
you trialled? The other two didn’t do what they said
on the tin: The Spyder does what it should be doing, it
works well.
Is there anything you’d change about it? If I
could bring the unit cost down...!
Is it paying for itself though? Yes. We’ve not
measured it, but it is a self-financing project because to
produce a screen the old conventional film way, you’re
looking at it costing you between £1.50 to £2.00 for the
film. With the Spyder, you’re looking at a screen that’s go-
ing to cost you between 17 and 18 pence, depending on
how many you do. It’s a big difference.
What are the main advantages? It saves money, it
saves time, it gives consistency, it improves quality – it’s a
much better way of working.
How fast is it? I think the record is about 130 screens
in one day. That was one person.
Any other benefits? Their aftercare service is very,
very good, their availability to answer questions, and their
confidence to give it to us for a year to trial.
What would you say to other printers thinking
of getting a CTS system? Well, people have already
bought it that have seen it here.
w
w
The i-Image ST
Tim Miller, production
manager at Refuel
Apparel
When did you get the i-
Image ST? We’ve had it three
years. It was the first thing we
bought – we only set up three
years ago. We have never done
the traditional way of films and
vacuum exposure boxes, we only
do direct-to-screen with LED
exposure here.
Why did you go the CTS
route rather than the more
traditional film route?
Space. It fits lovely into a corner
of the room, whereas with the
traditional way of doing it you need a big vacuum box and things like that.
Why did you choose the i-Image ST in particular? We started off
as an internal print shop. The owner has been in the manufacturing game
for 30 years – he knew the i-Image worked and he wanted the best. Dave
Roper always says that we’ve got the most efficient screen department he
knows for a print shop of our size.
What are the best things about the i-Image? The speed, and the
accuracy. You can’t have a bad day on it. If you put a film on wonky, then
it’s going to go on the screen wonky. With the i-Image, the image is always
in the correct position. Its consistency is the main thing, and the fact that
you can probably jump on and make a screen after about an hour or so of
learning it. It’s quite easy.
How long does it take to make a screen? It prints the image on the
screen in around 30 seconds.
Is there anything you’d like to see in an upgrade? No, I can’t
think of anything. The service from Dave is great as well, it’s 24 hours.
What would you say to other printers thinking of getting a
CTS system? Do it!
w
w
Tim working on the i-Image ST
FreeStyler
Jules Nicholas, director at Mooch Transfer & Screen
Printers
When did you get the FreeStyler? We’ve had it around two months
now.
Why did you get it? We do a lot of band and film T-shirts, using a lot of
halftone work and a lot of 10-, 12-colour simulated process work. We’ve got
the usual inkjet film system, but I didn’t feel we were getting the quality that we
needed. The FreeStyler is an ideal way of dipping the toe into the water without
too much investment.
How is it working out? It’s absolutely amazing. The amount of dots that
we hold now compared to what we used to – it’s probably 30% more. You get
”