DIGITAL PLATES & PLATESETTERS -- Two Steps Forward

Esko-Graphics is another potential player in the market, having demonstrated its Dicon flatbed system by invitation only at IPEX. The "engineering prototype" uses a single imaging head to expose conventional UV-sensitive plates. No timetable has been announced for the product's development.

Ink-jet imaging of plates is a distinctive twist on the process that for years has been talked about, and not much more. Nashua, NH-based Pisces Inc. is looking to change that situation, at least in the small commercial printer and in-plant segments. Its JetPlate system, built on the Epson 3000 print engine, can image conventional UV-sensitive aluminum plates in sizes to 18x25˝. A separate plate processor is required.