DIGITAL PLATESETTERS -- The Write One

The current generation of violet systems uses 5mW laser diodes, which means the plates must have a silver-halide coating in order to be sensitive to this relatively low level of energy. Thermal proponents point out that using silver raises issues regarding plate handling, chemistry/developer management and silver recovery/disposal, which make the process more complicated and adds to the total cost of ownership. Violet advocates naturally play down such concerns, but also note that 30mW/photopolymer violet systems eliminate the need for using silver. This gets into the area of debating current vs. future technology, though.