DIGITAL PLATE TECHNOLOGY -- Platemaking Loses a Step

Also taking a systems approach, but with an entirely different technology, is Glunz & Jensen. Its ink-jet computer-to-plate (iCTP) technology produces press-ready aluminum plates without chemical processing. The PlateWriter 4200 system (pictured on the left) jets a patented Liquid Dot solution onto a non-photosensitive aluminum printing plate. Imaged plates are then fed through a finishing unit that bonds the material to the plate's surface via a drying process. This unit, which is located just below the ink-jet engine, has a built-in gumming station to protect the plates from damage before going to press.