The Great (Digital) Plate Debate

"Thermal is processless and chemical-free," he concludes. "It's the proven plate technology today, and it's the investment that will last into the future."

Agfa and the Holy Grail
In the quest to eliminate processing steps, the "processless" plate is the digital plate manufacturers' Holy Grail, says Jonathan Ashton, Agfa's senior marketing manager for CTP plates. The hottest trend in the CTP consumables market today is the elimination of off-press processing steps, which includes no more baking, he contends, noting that, given an oven's high electricity costs, the trend is to eliminate the pre-bake step and provide fast, cost-efficient solutions that are environmentally sound.