Why Buy an Imagesetter?

Hurtubise may have a point. At IPEX in September and GRAPH EXPO in Chicago last month, the industry noticed a trend toward more cost-effective capstan devices, with many of the significant new wide-format imagesetter launches being capstan machines, not drums.

"We see the wide-format area as a growing market, if the results of IPEX are any indication," Hurtubise contends. "And, while CTP is no doubt an emerging market that has made significant progress over the last couple of years, there are still more applications going direct-to-film than plate. Most customers want to get it right on film first."