PRINTING PLATE UPDATE -- New Precious Metal

There may be reason to hope for a return to stability on the pricing and consolidation fronts, but that doesn't mean the plate market is going to get boring. All of the leading vendors seem to agree that processless technology really is poised to transform the industry.

According to O'Rourke, Presstek's Applause plate continues to be distinct in the marketplace by virtue of being truly process-free. Other commercially available products require some post-imaging operations, such as cleaning out with gum arabic or a water rinse step, he points out.