Waterloo, BELGIUM (May 9, 2001) – CreoScitex Europe SA, a subsidiary of Creo Products Inc. (NASDAQ: CREO; TSE: CRE), is pleased to announce the partnership with Kodak Polychrome Graphics to distribute CreoScitex Trendsetter 2637 platesetters throughout the European newspaper industry. The Trendsetter 2637 is amongst the fastest thermal computer-to-plate systems available to the newspaper industry today and will be distributed through both CreoScitex and Kodak Polychrome Graphics European channels. The Trendsetter 2637 is a dedicated newspaper CTP system imaging up to 100-broadsheet plates per hour or 65 panorama plates when imaging at 1200 dpi resolution and used with an optical punch bender. A high level of process control is achieved with the sharp SQUAREspot imaging technology, automatic temperature compensation of the engine, and dynamic autofocus to accurately track and compensate for plate surface variations. Higher process control assures accurate and repeatable screens on press, enables the use of FM screens and higher line conventional screens, and provides greater fidelity for presswork. It translates into better press utilization, faster make-ready, less wastage, and greater consistency and repeatability than with any other platemaking method. Kodak Polychrome Graphics’ ThermalNews printing plates were developed specifically for newspaper applications and can guarantee optimized productivity when imaged by the Trendsetter 2637V AL. In addition to imaging the ThermalNews plates, the Trendsetter 2637 can image most 830nm thermal plates, and features automatic plate loading and unloading, and a flexible, standard file-format interface to existing newspaper production systems. The CreoScitex Recorder Interface (CRI), which comes with the Trendsetter 2637 systems, is a licensed interface that allows a variety of prepress systems to send ripped TIFF files directly to CreoScitex output devices. “We are keen to work with Kodak Polychrome Graphics on distributing the Trendsetter 2637 in Europe,” said Boudewijn Neijens, Executive Vice-President Marketing of CreoScitex Europe. “This initiative builds on the synergy that has long been established between our two companies and our customers will gain efficiency and quality by working with these excellent products.” “Thermal technology meets and exceeds the need for high quality colour and reduced production costs,” says Stephane Lievain, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Kodak Polychrome Graphics Europe. “Because the system is silver-free it provides a cleaner working environment and lower chemistry usage. Press imaging is improved, restarts are quicker and paper waste is consequently lower. The environmental benefits are significant. Newspapers need thermal CTP systems as the industry becomes rapidly more competitive and demands quality, reliability and consistency.” When a member of Italy’s largest newspaper printing group wanted to provide its personnel with CTP experience, they chose the CreoScitex Trendsetter 2637. “After the very first days, instead of running limited CTP test production we decided to start platemaking every night for the full three editions of our main newspaper title,” said Giuseppe Marchetti, Managing Director S.I.E.S., part of the Seregni Group, the largest newspaper printer in Italy. ”There were several excellent reasons for S.I.E.S. management to use the Trendsetter 2637 and Kodak Polychrome Graphics ThermalNews plates,”,he said. “The easy handling of thermal plates in daylight, the increased quality of registration of all four colours, the better quality achieved on the press (also underlined by the newspaper’s publisher), and the very simple, user-friendly interface of the CTP which allowed our personnel to master its use very quickly.”