HUDSON, N.H., Oct. 20 -- Presstek, Inc., a leading provider of direct digital imaging technology, today announced it had success at Graph Expo 2004, the largest North American printing industry conference and exhibit, held October 10th to October 13th in Chicago. On the eve of the Show's opening, Presstek received three Awards for its innovative computer-to-plate solutions. Presstek also demonstrated its leading environmentally friendly CTP and DI products to large crowds during the show. "Our theme 'A Smarter Way to Print' successfully demonstrates the value that Presstek's award winning technology delivers to its customers," said Presstek President and CEO, Edward J. Marino. "Show attendees expressed a high level of interest in our featured process-free CTP products as well as in the new Presstek enabled DI presses demonstrated by our partners." Marino also said that show attendees' eagerness to see live demonstrations of the new Presstek product lines resulted in more than 350 leads for prospective new customers. This level of interest, according to Marino, clearly indicates that Presstek's product portfolio is satisfying the market's requirements for easy-to-use environmentally friendly solutions. New Kodak Polychrome Graphics DirectPress 5634 DI A Success Kodak Polychrome Graphics (KPG) showcased its new DirectPress 5634 DI during Graph Expo. A high level of interest was generated with sales coming from several different market segments including in-plants, quick printers, and commercial printers; with several shops adding their second DI. The DirectPress is a two-page, four-color digital offset press powered by Presstek's ProFire Excel imaging and thermal plate technology. With the push of a button, the DirectPress 5634 DI delivers high-quality printed output at up to a 300-line screen with support for stochastic screening technologies. The DirectPress 5634 DI brings together the quality and versatility of offset printing with the workflow and process automation normally associated with digital printing. This combination presents a new growth opportunity for commercial printers, in-plants, trade shops, and digital service bureaus that want to tap into the growing demand for high-quality, quick-turnaround, short- run, four-color work. "Graph Expo was a great opportunity for KPG to demonstrate its breadth of solutions for the graphic arts community, and the Kodak Polychrome Graphics DirectPress 5634 DI was central to that theme. Customer reaction was very positive, specifically in response to KPG's ability to integrate the press into various workflows while delivering outstanding color and image quality on a consistent basis," said Rick Mazur, Kodak Polychrome Graphics' Vice President of Marketing. Industry Recognition for Presstek's Environmentally Friendly CTP Products Presstek demonstrated the Dimension Excel Series of CTP systems imaging chemistry-free Anthem plates and process-free Applause plates during Graph Expo. In acknowledgement of the innovation and excellence of these products, Presstek received three recognitions as part of the "Must See 'em" program. The recognized products for 2004 are: -- Applause Process-Free Plates, "Encore Worth a Look" -- Dimension Excel CTP Systems, "Worth a Look" in the Thermal Computer-to-Plate/2- and 4-up category -- Anthem Chemistry-free Plates, "Must See 'em" in the Computer-to-Plate/Digital Lithographic Plate category. The "Must See 'em" product and technology recognition program is designed to highlight Graph Expo's most unique, innovative, and compelling products for printers attending the show. The "Must See 'em" program is sponsored by the Graphic Arts Show Company and is one of the most popular overviews of products being demonstrated during the event. Industry analyst and Conference Chairman William C. Lamparter heads the "Must See 'em" Selection Committee, which consists of 15 expert industry consultants and trade magazine editors. Says Lamparter, president of PrintCom, "In being instrumental in the creation of the DI press and in the development of processless and chemistry- free printing plates, Presstek has demonstrated leadership in bringing highly innovative products to market. Its DI press technology is a previous "Must See 'em" award recipient. The company's products which were again recognized as industry-wide compelling products at this year's Graph Expo are CTP developments and the Anthem chemistry-free plate, which assist printers in profitably participating in the high quality, short run, four-color market in an environmentally friendly manner." New Automated Plate Loading System Previewed At Graph Expo Presstek previewed its new Automated Plate Loading System, an upgrade for the Dimension Excel CTP platform. This advanced upgrade, shown for the first time at Graph Expo, allows Dimension Excel users to configure a completely automated system-including multiple plate selection, punching, slip-sheet removal, imaging, and post-image handling. The Automated Plate Loading System upgrade will work in concert with the new features of the Dimension Excel and can be easily added to any Dimension Excel system for "lights out" production of printing plates. Pricing and availability are scheduled to be announced in early 2005. "Our customers have demonstrated their ability to save time and money by using their Dimension chemistry-free CTP systems. They have been able to significantly reduce production cycle times and costs. It takes just a few minutes to get a plate on press, and the burden of chemistry-based plates is completely eliminated. Many of our customers have seen their CTP systems produce a positive return on investment in just months," said Marc Johnson, Presstek's CTP Marketing Manager. "The Automatic Plate Loading System is engineered to further increase their productivity and deliver even higher levels of savings."