PRINTING PLATE UPDATE -- New Precious Metal

As an interested observer of the deal making, Presstek's O'Rourke says he believes the business today is about converting analog customers to digital and securing that demand for a period of time. (Presstek did make its own acquisition, ABDick, but that didn't involve metal plate capacity.)

Consolidation also has come in other forms. Earlier this year, Printing Developments Inc. (PDI) sent out a notice saying its parent company, GenTek, had decided to cease all operations of PDI. This move followed close on the heels of Citiplate's announcement that it was shifting focus to solely manufacturing plates for other firms.