Today's CTP Industry Briefing (2026-06-25)

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Today's CTP Industry Briefing (2026-06-25)

Workflow automation is becoming the core of competition. CTP is evolving from a plate-making device to an intelligent pre-press platform.

In recent years, the focus of the CTP industry has shifted significantly.

If ten years ago the industry focused on exposure speed, resolution, and laser technology, today more and more customers are asking different questions:

  • How to reduce manual operations?
  • How to achieve pre-press automation?
  • How to integrate Workflow, CTP, ERP, and MIS into one system?
  • How to lower labor costs and improve delivery efficiency?

Based on recent Kodak official releases and industry trends, here are five directions worth watching today.

① PRINERGY 11.5: Automated Workflow Continues to Upgrade

Kodak continues to advance the PRINERGY 11.5 platform.

The biggest feature of this upgrade is not adding new buttons, but further refining the entire automated workflow, including:

  • Rules-Based Automation (RBA)
  • Automatic Preflight
  • PREPS imposition
  • JDF/PPF data exchange
  • PrintLink automatic output
  • Business Link data connection

For large printing companies, this means more and more tasks will be completed automatically by the system, rather than relying on manual expertise.

Our View

The key role of pre-press engineers will gradually shift from "operating software" to "designing automated workflows."

Companies that can help customers build a Workflow will have a higher technical barrier.

② INSITE Portals: Online Customer Approval Is Becoming Commonplace

More and more printing plants in Europe and the US are adopting:

  • Customer uploads file → automatic preflight → online approval → automatic output

The entire process requires almost no manual intervention.

The new version of INSITE further enhances:

  • Online approval
  • Online annotation
  • MATCHPRINT Virtual
  • Automatic email notifications
  • Automatic approval workflows

Customers can complete all confirmation work directly through a browser.

For printing plants:

Reducing waiting time increases profit.

③ Kodak Is Promoting a Complete Ecosystem, Not Just Selling CTP

Kodak's official product layout is becoming clearer:

Workflow + CTP + Plate

These three products together form a complete solution.

Including:

  • PRINERGY Workflow
  • MAGNUS / Trendsetter CTP
  • SONORA Process Free Plate

In the future, customers will no longer purchase a single device, but a complete production capability.

For service providers, this means:

Simply repairing equipment is no longer sufficient.

Being able to help customers optimize Workflow, upgrade software, calibrate equipment, and manage color truly enhances competitiveness.

④ Automation Is Becoming the New Standard in the Printing Industry

More and more packaging companies are building smart factories.

The most obvious trends include:

  • Automatic imposition
  • Automatic preflight
  • Automatic job tickets
  • Automatic scheduling
  • Automatic notifications
  • Automatic data collection

CTP has become a key node in the entire digital factory.

In the future, customers will focus more on:

  • How many plates were produced today?
  • Is the equipment operating normally?
  • When is maintenance needed?
  • How much plate material is left?

All this data needs to be collected in real-time.

Therefore, remote operation and maintenance platforms are becoming a new service direction.

⑤ The Used CTP Market Still Has Great Opportunities

Many people think the used equipment market has reached a mature stage.

In fact, the opposite is true.

As more and more European and US customers upgrade to new equipment, a large number of high-quality Kodak CTP units are entering the global used market.

At the same time:

More customers are beginning to accept:

  • Refurbished equipment
  • Officially certified equipment
  • Extended warranties
  • Remote technical support

Compared to simply selling equipment,

What will be more valuable in the future is:

An integrated solution of "Equipment + Inspection + Warranty + Workflow + Technical Support."

Our Observation

In the next 3-5 years, the most noteworthy aspects of the CTP industry will no longer be just hardware performance.

What truly determines competitiveness will be:

✅ Workflow automation

✅ AI-assisted pre-press

✅ JDF data interconnection

✅ Remote equipment operation and maintenance

✅ Process Free Plate

✅ Smart factories

Those who can truly integrate these technologies will gain an advantage in the next round of industry upgrades.

DTP TECH Perspective

As a professional service provider focusing on Kodak CTP equipment, TH series laser head repair, CTP refurbishment, and remote technical support, we are also continuously advancing in the following directions:

  • Kodak PRINERGY workflow research
  • CTP remote health monitoring
  • AI fault diagnosis
  • Kodak laser head repair and refurbishment
  • Global supply of used CTP
  • Workflow + CTP + AI integrated solutions

Looking ahead, we will continue to share the latest global trends in CTP, pre-press automation, and printing digitization, growing together with the industry.

Follow DTP TECH for more Kodak CTP, Workflow, AI pre-press automation, and equipment repair technical information.

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