Graph Expo: Front-end Ingenuity

FROM WORKFLOW tools and variable data software to CTP and proofing technologies, Graph Expo had enough technology to make any in-plant manager’s head spin. Here are some of the latest products we saw at the show.

Computer-to-plate Systems

Agfa demonstrated its :ThermoFuse plate technology, including the chemistry-free
:Azura plate, which eliminates chemical processing. By significantly reducing liquid waste in the plate creating process, it supports a more environmentally friendly solution. Also shown was Agfa’s :Energy Elite, winner of a 2007
InterTech technology award. The newest addition to the Agfa range of thermal plates, :Energy Elite is a true no-bake plate offering run lengths of up to 500,000 impressions.

Agfa introduced the :Avalon LF XT+ violet CTP system, which uses Agfa’s Lithostar digital printing plates to deliver 40 B1-size plates per hour. It is available in both manual and fully automatic loading versions. The :Avalon :LF Violet family is compatible with Agfa’s violet chemistry-free plate, to be released in 2008. :Avalon LF platesetters’ imaging heads can easily be switched between thermal and violet with a simple field retrofit.

Heidelberg showed several of its platesetters, including the Prosetter P 74, Suprasetter S 105 SCL and the entry-level Suprasetter A 52 ATL, introduced at Graph Expo 2006. In all Prosetter models, the printing plate is precisely aligned in a half shell and held in place by a vacuum during imaging. The laser is moved along this half shell and images the plate one dot at a time. The laser spot is guided via a rotating prism, delivering precision down to thousandths of a millimeter. This is made possible by the air bearing, which is frictionless. The
Suprasetter features an internal punching system, which ensures maximum register accuracy, plus a new laser developed by Heidelberg.

Mitsubishi Imaging showed its first chemistry-free, processless flexible CTP plate, Thermal DigiPlate. Geared toward small printers that want an eco-friendly upgrade from laser and electrostatic plates, Thermal DigiPlate uses a patented thermal fusing technology to create a high-contrast image on a plate without chemical development or wash-off. The plates are exposed in a low-cost platemaker that uses a thermal head system. Ideal in high-volume environments, the platemaker can produce up to 60 plates per hour and output plates with a resolution of 1,200 dpi and up to 133 lpi.

Presstek demonstrated two of its chemistry-free, CTP solutions: the Dimension Excel CTP System and the Vector TX52. Both are easy-to-use, versatile, high-performance systems that streamline workflow. New at the show was the Dimension450 Excel-Autoloader for the four-page thermal CTP system. It mounts up to 20 pre-punched plates so users can move on to other tasks while the platesetter goes to work.

Printware, LLC, debuted its PlateStream Drum polyester CtP system at Graph Expo. Features include precision drum imaging, dual media input, integrated punching and workflow tools. The new PlateStream Drum is capable of producing up to 29 full-format plates per hour and features dynamic adjustment of the laser spot size. The result is optimum color reproduction on press. The dual media input system allows two different media sizes online. The integrated punching system supports both 220 mm and 425 mm punch configurations. Included with the PlateStream Drum system is a Harlequin-based workflow package featuring the latest Xitron RIP and PDF tools.

Screen (U.S.A.) showed several platesetters, including the six-page Plate