Improve Your Image

Want to bring polyester platemaking or film production in-house? Check out the latest imagesetters that will help you bring home the savings.

In-plant managers who have brought film and plate work in-house have been thrilled with the time and money they save. No more expensive outsourcing—and no more waiting around for work to arrive from the outside. If this sounds good to you, maybe it is time your shop brought in a new imagesetter. Here's what vendors are offering.

The Tanto 5120 imagesetter from Screen (USA) is an entry-level CTP device. The eight-page unit is able to provide direct-to-plate digital imaging on flexible, polyester CTP plates. The Tanto 5120 images on 120 channels with the drum spinning at 270 or 420 rpm. It can image up to 44.1˝, with a maximum media size of 33x45˝ and a minimum media size of 24x32.7˝.

The chemical-free Scitex Dolev 4Dry imagesetter spares the environment from toxic wastes, gases and odors. It is an integrated, waste-free, self-contained unit that needs no external film processor, and none of the infrastructure associated with wet film processing. Costs of chemicals and toxic waste storage and disposal are eliminated. It also has the ability to produce high-quality film separations while using the efficient Scitex front end workflow.

Purup-Eskofot offers the thermal ImageMaker CtP system. The ImageMaker range comprises six different models. It is a flexible line that can be configured to match the needs of customers—like computer-to-film or computer-to-plate, in four-up or eight-up formats. At 2,540 dpi the ImageMaker can output 13 eight-up plates an hour.

The Panther Imagesetting System from Monotype Systems is an entry-level offering.

An entry-level choice from Monotype Systems is the Panther Imagesetting System. It is aimed at shops with low-volume applications requiring documents up to 13.3˝ wide—large enough for an 11x17˝ page with full bleeds and crop marks. The Panther imagesetter operates at any of four resolutions up to 2,400 dpi and at speeds of nearly 20˝ per minute. The system is driven by Adobe PostScript 3 Panther RIP for Power Macintosh or Windows NT workstations.

The Quasar from Heidelberg Prepress is designed and constructed for small-format offset printing. Quasar offers a flexible exposure format of 20.7x19.9˝ for positives and 20.7x21˝ for negatives. The internal drum-based Quasar also provides high recorder speed and fast data transmission, making the unit efficient as it overlaps processes and cuts idle times. Quasar is compatible with Delta Technology for RIPing. It outputs paper, film and polyester plates, and offers automatic cassette and material control via touch chip.

From Fuji Photo Film USA comes the Sumo Luxel F9000. Sumo is a film-based imagesetting solution, boasting a large B1 format with a maximum image size of 44.17x36.61˝. It supports film widths up to 441⁄2˝. Sumo is available in one, two, or three lasers and is capable of producing plate-ready film for all popular sizes with minimum film waste. The three-laser model is able to produce 58, eight-up single-page flats per hour.

Stingray imagesetters from ECRM offer a cost-effective and compact solution for imposed film or polyester plate production. With its automated punching and full A1 format, the Stingray 63 is aimed at printers with an eight-up press capability, or with plans to move to larger format presses. For smaller press users, the Stingray 52 and Stingray 46 cover four-page imaging. Stingrays image film, paper or polyester plates. They offer multiple resolution settings from 1,000 to 3,556 dpi.