Drupa--Prepress Synergy

Drupa 2000 was the best of the old, the best of the new and the best of what's yet to be for true integrated digital prepress.

As far as prepress was concerned, Drupa 2000 affirmed the reliability of the old, elevated the promise of the new and positioned leading market players in new strategic patterns.

All that, in just 14 days.

Drupa 2000 registered a strong vote for the necessity of true digital prepress integration—as well as the health of proven technologies, from imagesetters to scanners. Drupa also marked the true affirmation of PDF as the globally accepted next standard—with more PDF workflows coming to market, and existing PDF workflows, from Apogee to Prinergy, undergoing next-generation refinements.

What Drupa 2000 did not do for prepress operations, believe it or not, was signal the end of film; platesetters and imagesetters were both in abundance. Nor did the Düsseldorf millennium event forecast the demise of proven high production scanning technologies for the total adoption of the digital camera. In fact, even with the abundance of direct imaging offset presses at Drupa, platesetters still proliferated. In short, the old and the new were existing in harmony.

Drupa marked the debut appearance of CreoScitex. The new company introduced a new generation of four- and eight-page Trendsetter platemakers. Designed to address the needs of the four-page market, the Trendsetter 400 features semi-automatic plate loading and unloading, a high-power 40W thermal imaging head, fast imaging speed, and a compact footprint. The Trendsetter 400 (sold by Heidelberg as the Trendsetter 74) can also be configured to image ablative processless media.

The Trendsetter 3230 and 3244 were enhanced to become the new Trendsetter 3230+ and 3244+. Their internal architecture was re-engineered to accommodate a SQUAREspot thermal-imaging head, laser-cooling system and debris-collection components (for ablative processless media). Each system supports Spectrum digital halftone proofing and a choice of imaging speeds.

Though Creo and Heidelberg ended their joint venture before Drupa, the two companies announced in Düsseldorf that they would continue to sell, support and service the Prinergy workflow management system and Trendsetter thermal platesetter line. Heidelberg followed this news by introducing the entry-level Trendsetter 74 (renamed the Trendsetter 400 by CreoScitex) for the four-page market. It has semi-automatic plate-loading/unloading.

For shorter run jobs, Heidelberg announced the Topsetter 74 and 102 platesetters. The 74 is for 28˝ work. It images 17 plates an hour at 2,400 dpi. An autoloader option lets 100 plates be made without intervention.

Heidelberg also unveiled two capstan imagesetters, the Quicksetter 400 and Quicksetter 460. The imagesetter, RIP and processor are all optimally coordinated with each other and match with small presses like the Printmaster QM 46 or GTO 52. The Quicksetter 400 is optimized for two-page work and has a maximum imaging width of 15.9˝. It images up to 27 punched films/plates per hour (1,000 dpi). The user can image wet or dry film or polyester plates. The Quicksetter 460 has a maximum imaging width of 18.1˝, and the user can image wet film or poly plates.

A new two-page imagesetter, the Heidelberg Quicksetter 350, not only processes film up to 13.9˝, but images polyester plates of 9.8x12˝ to 13.9x21.9˝. It has nine resolution settings from 1,000 to 3,386 dpi.

Also new, Heidelberg Primesetter filmsetters image both film and polyester plates. They automatically detect the media type (film or plate), name, quantity and width of the material and set the light values and start coordinates, so the Primesetter can start imaging right away.

CTP For Everyone

Agfa was a major presence in the Print City exhibit, which brought together more than 60 vendors from every step in the print process. Agfa handled prepress for all jobs printed in the hall, and all of its equipment was on the Print City network.

Agfa showed an array of new computer-to-plate systems. The Galileo Talant offers thermal platesetting without processing. The internal drum device can image the new Mistral plate up to 300 lpi, and can handle runs of over 500,000.

Another internal drum thermal platesetter, the Galileo Thermal S, is 50 percent faster than the original Galileo Thermal. Agfa also introduced the Thermolite non-ablative, processor-free thermal plate, rated for up to 30,000 impressions at 200 lpi. Two internal drum platesetters, the Galileo VS and VXT, used violet lasers, which enable fast imaging speeds.

Purup-Eskofot launched its new DotMate 5080 digital platesetter, the first system to incorporate Purup-Eskofot and Scanview technologies following the integration of the two companies. Aimed at the two-up market, the daylight-loading DotMate 5080 can handle film and polyester plate material and can output 45 plates an hour at 900 dpi. Plates can be up to 14x20˝ and they are delivered to the front of the machine.

Purup-Eskofot also presented a computer-to-plate system for imaging conventional UV-sensitive offset plates. Called Dicon, the system can image a 321⁄2˝ wide plate in about 80 seconds, or between 30 and 50 B1 plates an hour at 2,540 dpi. Plate sizes can be from 20x16˝ up to 44x32˝.

Purup-Eskofot also used Drupa to demonstrate several new features within its ImageMaker range enabling them to be turned into thermal CTP systems. A violet diode light source was demonstrated. The new ImageMakers incorporate an entirely new electronics system, which will increase throughput speed.

ECRM Imaging Systems showed several new products:

• The eight-up DesertCat 8 thermal platesetter, the first ECRM product to result from the acquisition of Optronics. It images 12 eight-up plates per hour using an external drum.

• The TigerCat four-up, visible-light platemaker, which boasts automation and daylight operation. It can also come with a violet laser, which allows a smaller dot size.

• The Stingray 63 imagesetter with large-format, eight-up imaging, can output media up to 25˝ wide.

• The Mako imagesetter with a polyester CTP package for fast turnaround on short-run jobs.

The Graphic Systems Division of Fuji Photo Film U.S.A. exhibited its new Dart Luxel T6000 CTP thermal platesetter. It records plates up to B2 format (211⁄2x321⁄4˝). Rotating up to 1,000 rpm, the high-speed external drum, in conjunction with the 32-channel multi-exposure system, outputs 16 thermal plates (four-page) per hour at 2,400 dpi. A drum autobalance system automatically tweaks drum balance for optimal quality. The unit offers automatic plate loading, as well as an automatic internal punch

Fuji also showed its new Luxel FINALPROOF 5600, an automated digital halftone color proofing system using pigment-based CMYK colors.

A.B.Dick launched the DPM 2340, the latest in the Digital PlateMaster series. The internal drum platemaker is designed for small to mid-sized portrait format presses. It uses MEGAPro polyester plates. Its maximum plate size is 13.4x20˝ and it provides an inline plate cutter. The system can output up to 38 plates per hour at 175 lpi.

Xanté introduced a wider plate option for its PlateMaker 3 CTP system. This allows users of Heidelberg's Printmaster QM 46 to create plates up to 13.4˝ wide. Also new is a pin bar alignment feature, which allows the platesetter to print adjustable vertical lines at the top of the plate, making it easier to make accurate punches.

Krause showed its LaserStar CTP units with violet diode laser technology. LaserStar will support resolutions of 1,016-1,270 dpi, 1,800-2,400 dpi, and 2,032-2,540 dpi. At high resolutions the violet diode LaserStar images an eight-up plate in less than two minutes. Speed, yellow light operating conditions, and a less expensive imaging technology are a few of the benefits of violet diode for CTP.

Presstek debuted its new ProFire integrated imaging head solution. The first products based on the integrated imaging head solution include Presstek's new Anthem plate and its new Dimension series of thermal CTP system. Dimension200 will image aluminum thermal plates up to 20x21˝ at 24 plates an hour. Dimension400 and Dimension800 will image plates at 2,540 dpi in 3.5 minutes. Anthem wet offset thermal plates print from a grained, anodized aluminum surface and have a run length of 100,000 impressions, with fast ablation imaging and chemical-free cleaning.

Mitsubishi Chemical and Western Lithotech showed off the DiamondPlate LV-1, a photopolymer subtractive plate with a spectral sensitivity of 400-430nm for use with violet/blue laser platesetters. It reportedly requires no preheating and is yellow light safe. The companies also introduced a negative-working 830nm thermal plate, the DiamondPlate LT-N. It requires no pre or post baking.

Kodak Polychrome showed off several new plates and films, including a new thermal processless plate. A thermal non-ablative waterless plate was shown in conjunction with a new ink from Sun Chemical. Wide-format DryView film for the new Scitex 4DRY imagesetter was displayed, along with Direct Print processless conventional plates. An all-in-one compact thermal plate processor delivers integrated preheating.

Screen showed the Cezanne Elite, which it debuted in February. It can scan up to 104 originals (35mm) at 350 dpi and 400 percent magnification. The A3-plus scanning bed is removable for scanning originals up to 13x20.9˝. Also shown was the PlateRite 4000 platesetter, for four-page work and smaller. An optional single cassette auto-loader holds up to 100 plates. It produces 16 B2 sized plates an hour at 2,400 dpi.

Polaroid Graphics Imaging announced the first of a new generation of automatic digital halftone proofing systems. The two-up (oversized B3) automatic digital halftone proofing system has been developed using the company's Laser Ablation Transfer Technology. Automated, it allows proofing with unattended operation. It can image up to 12 A4 pages per hour. The proofing system may be configured as a network printer or as a direct connection to an existing RIP.

More printing, proofing and imaging products are expected to result from an alliance forged between Imation and Xerox. Imation specializes in data storage, color management, proofing and software for critical color applications.

In the workflow area, WAM!Net introduced Transmission 6.1, bringing seamless integration into clients' digital workflows. New SMART job tickets have configurable, built-in acceptance criteria so receivers can control what customers send.

by Bob Neubauer and Marie Alonso