ECRM Previews CTP and Workflow Enhancements for Drupa 2008; Solutions Pave Way for Greener CTP Adoption

TEWKSBURY, MA—March 26, 2008—Following up on their new campaign to promote graphic arts professionals to conserve energy and be more aware of ecological benefits (announced in early February), ECRM today announced their line-up of CTP and workflow enhancements that will be showcased in their Drupa 2008 exhibit (May 29th to June 11th in Dusseldorf, Germany). Exhibiting in Hall 9, Stand C56, ECRM will showcase four new platesetter offerings enhanced with the aim towards developing more eco-friendly CTP prepress workflows. ECRM will be providing a technology demonstration of the new chemistry-free digital plate for violet platesetters from Agfa. The Azura V will be imaged and then run through a clean-out unit live in the ECRM stand. For more information about ECRM and their offerings, go to www.ecrm.com .

ECRM Quotes

“The adoption of green technology is a function of both social and fiscal responsibility. Though we all strive for a cleaner environment, businesses must also protect the financial health of their operations,” notes Doug Barr, Vice President, Western Hemisphere Sales, ECRM. “Offerings that accomplish both are desirable. The future is chem-free violet CTP. Manufacturers, such as Agfa and Fuji, are already showing plates and are prepared for a 2008 launch, and we suspect there will be others.”

“We previously released a statement supporting the benefits and our support of chemistry-free plates in April 2006,” adds Derek Sizer, Vice President, Eastern Hemisphere Business. “Since then ECRM has anxiously awaited the release of viable plate products. We are very proud to be chosen by Agfa to provide customers with a technology demo of the new Azura V plate. Customers will be able to see the Agfa Azura V plate being imaged and then pass through a clean-out unit live in our stand. With this advance in violet plate technology, very soon customers will be getting all the advantages of chem-free technology without having to sacrifice throughput speed.”

“We’re also making strides in polyester CTP to minimize use and therefore waste of chemicals,” said Torben Rysgaard, Vice President, Polyester CTP Division. “With the introduction of the DPX 4 Eco, printers can benefit from savings incurred from less chemical use in the development of polyester plates, and the additional saving of costs associated with diminished waste. The reduction in waste carries the additional ecological benefits.”

WorkMates 3.0 to be Exhibited

Drupa will also be where ECRM officially launches the next release of their commercial PDF workflow, WorkMates v3.0. WorkMates 3.0 sports an entirely new Graphic User Interface. This allows users to either view all or selected workflows. Users can choose to drop jobs into automatic flows for complete automation, or manual flows to create custom impositions to selected output devices. WorkMates 3.0 is a client server package offering users both Macintosh and PC clients with unlimited client connections. In addition, WorkMates 3.0 supports the latest Harlequin RIP release version 8.0 which offers PDFRaster output and increased performance from multi-threaded CPUs.

Enhanced 120 Milliwatt Laser Diode Platesetters

• MAKO 2x: Ideal for a first transition to CTP, the MAKO 2x system delivers high quality, 2-page platesetting at the price of an imagesetter. Offering a full resolution range of 1200 – 3556 dpi, it is one of the fastest 2-page CTP units in its class, imaging over 27 GTO plates per hour at 2400 dpi.

• MAKO 4x: The MAKO 4x has been one of the first Violet CTP devices in the world to offer commercial printers a clear path to chemistry-free technology. Representing ECRM’s highest quality imaging output with resolution sets from 1200 – 3556 dpi, the MAKO 4x is one of the fastest 4-page CTP units in its class, imaging over 19 Speedmaster 74 plates per hour at 2400 dpi.

• MAKO 8x: Designed for commercial printers, the MAKO 8x is engineered specifically to improve the efficiency of multi-press environments through its fast, flexible and trouble-free operation. And, suitable for all formats covering 2, 4, 6 and 8 –page signatures it offers resolutions from 1800dpi to 3556dpi. And, MAKO 8x images up to 18 8-page plates per hour at 2400 dpi.

ECRM Platesetters Conserve Energy and Costs

For years, ECRM has engineered their violet CTP platesetters to be both economical and energy-efficient. For example, the MAKO CTP platesetters are designed to draw as little energy as it takes to light three 100-watt light bulbs. For some commercial customers, the cost saving in using an ECRM platesetter (versus an industry competitor) can add up to as much as $1000+ dollars per year. In an internal research study comparing various CTP offerings (based on product rating label, using lowest rated voltage and rated current), the MAKO platesetters were as much as 19 times more energy-efficient than some popular thermal CTP solutions.

About ECRM
ECRM Imaging Systems is a global leader in imaging technologies for the graphic communications industry. For over three decades ECRM has successfully applied a broad range of optical, imaging, laser, and digital-electronic technologies to meet the business needs of its customers. The Massachusetts-based company has sold and supported more than 5,000 computer-to-plate devices and over 27,000 imagesetters in 110 countries around the world. ECRM’s Tewksbury, MA facility is ISO 9001:2000 certified and is dedicated to maintaining the highest standards in research and development, design, manufacturing, service, and support.