ON-PRESS IMAGING -- Firing on All Cylinders

Since the typical DI press uses spooled media that is fed automatic-ally and can image all colors at once in about three minutes, there's no way plates can be produced off-line and then hung on a press in a similar time frame, Najmr points out.

In most of the cases, the entire digital imaging kit for a press—lasers, digital controls and cleaning systems—costs less than a comparable CTP device, adds the marketing director. The resulting cost structure for short-run production, combined with the marketing potential of quick turnaround, results in higher margins, he says.