Plate Inspector
ChromaChecker Plate Inspector — evaluating CTP plate quality, measuring dot percentages on plate, verifying screening, and correlating plate measurements with press output.
What Plate Inspector Evaluates
Plate Inspector measures the actual dot percentage on a CTP printing plate and compares it against the intended file values and against the target dots needed to achieve the correct TVI on press. It provides the prepress link in the ChromaChecker quality chain — confirming that the plate is correctly imaged before press time begins.
Dot Percentage Measurement
Measures the actual area coverage at each tonal step on the plate using a densitometer or plate reader
File-to-Plate Comparison
Compares measured plate dots to the nominal file percentages — identifies CTP linearisation errors
Target Dot Calculation
Calculates the target dot on plate required to achieve the desired TVI on press for the current substrate/press combination
Screening Verification
Verifies screen ruling and screen angle on plate — detects RIP or CTP configuration errors
Plate-to-Print Correlation
Links plate measurements to subsequent Print Inspector sessions — enables complete file-to-plate-to-print traceability
Historical Records
Archives all plate measurements with job reference, CTP device, and operator — full audit trail for plate quality
Plate Inspector in the Quality Chain
Plate Inspector sits between prepress output and press makeready in the ChromaChecker workflow:
- File — nominal dot values defined in the PDF/job file
- CTP — plate imaged by the computer-to-plate system
- Plate Inspector — measures actual dots on plate, verifies against target
- Press — plate mounted, printed
- Print Inspector — measures control strip on press sheet, evaluates conformance
If a plate fails Plate Inspector, it can be re-imaged before makeready — avoiding the cost of press preparation and wasted substrate on a press run that was doomed to fail from the start.
