Presstek sings Anthem's non-process plate praises By Gareth Ward
Presstek will introduce a non-process thermal web offset plate at Drupa with performance characteristics closer to conventional plates than its previous efforts. Twenty-one sites are running trials of the plate, which Presstek is confident will be commercially available from the show. The Anthem plate overcomes the limitations of previous Presstek plates in terms of press behaviour and characteristics. The new material uses a conventional anodised aluminium base, coated with the material which is vaporised by Presstek's lasers. It is said to work particularly well with single fluid ink systems that web press manufacturers in particular are investigating. A wipe with clean water is enough to remove residual debris.
According to Efrem Lieber, vice president of sales and marketing, the Anthem "has the kind of capability that no plate has ever had with ctp. With previous plates, you have to be very much in control of all stages of the process and there is a very narrow window of operation. With this plate however, there is no change in press performance from a conventional plate and the running latitude is the widest there is - you cannot kill this plate." Eventually, he says, there will be a family of Anthem plates. The PearlGold plate now has a brother in PearlPlatinum, again with non-process technology, available on reels and with a run length of 20,000 copies. The new plate has been shown to distributors including Typetronics in the UK. As a result of the early feedback, Presstek is boosting production in the run up to Drupa. The company plans to team the plate with a new platesetter, the Dimension 400, aimed at the new entrant to the market. It takes plates up to B2 with a resolution up to 2,540dpi and images a B2 plate in three minutes at this size.
The speed is achieved through the new laser imaging head that Presstek has developed. This is considerably more compact than the plate wide units fitted to the DI presses Presstek has so far equipped. Each laser diode
now addresses four spots rather than one, helping boost imaging speed. A B1 version of the platesetter is also anticipated. The laser head is being made available to other developers for platesetter and on press purposes. Due to the size, it is very much easier to fit on a press than the previous design, says Mr Lieber. As well as the Heidelberg QM-DI, the Presstek system is fitted to the Adast 755C-DI and to the proposed Akiyama perfecting book press. At Drupa, says Mr Lieber, at least three other companies will show products, three of which will be presses using this technology. One of these presses will be an Oem product that Presstek will have on its own stand, imaging the PearlDry waterless plate. The technologies, restricted to just two stands at Drupa 95 will be on up to 20 other stands as well as Presstek's own. It is a breakthrough, says Mr Lieber, with Presstek anticipating expanding growth in the coming year. "Orders are already in advance of last year," he says. "This should be a phenomenal growth year." One reason for expanding plate and QM-DI sales, he says he has noted, is the change in the customer base for the Heidelberg Quickmaster DI, first launched in 1995. "What we are finding now is that large companies are beginning to get interested. They are being asked to take on a type of business they never touched before, and a B1 press is impractical for 10,000 A4 copies. It is high profit, fast turnround business that they do not want to turn away, so the DI press suits well."
As well as increasing the product range, the company is increasing its distribution channels with Sakurai, Imation, Didde, Adast, KBA, Flint Inks and two unnamed companies selling the new platesetter in at least some territories worldwide. Plates are in addition available through Heidelberg, MAN Roland, Akiyama and the companies developing presses around Presstek's DI technology. One of these mystery companies is expected to be Fuji, which has a distribution and shared technology deal with Presstek. Elsewhere, there are rumours of a direct imaged press for Drupa which in addition to the on-press imaging, has an additional printing station offering variable information print. Heidelberg considered adding an inkjet to its QM-DI, although a press combining direct imaging and toner application for personalisation is considered more likely. |
