The Great (Digital) Plate Debate

The trend is for suppliers to provide total solutions, not just consumables, Ashton says. And Agfa, as a leading producer of plate materials, as well as platemaking systems, is in a "key position" to offer a wide range of integrated platemaking possibilities.

Leading the Thermal Revolution
If Drupa 95 was the beginning of the CTP revolution, Drupa 2000 proved that the revolution is alive and well. "In '95, CTP was looked at with a wary eye, cost barriers and dependence on film reinforcing the bias. Today, however, it's a different story," says Bruce Davidson, Kodak Polychrome Graphics' worldwide marketing manager for plates. "Computer-to-plate is fast becoming the norm in litho platemaking, a trend driven by the need to produce quality printing, faster," he says.