CHICAGO, Oct. 16 -- Visitors to Graph Expo 2006 in Chicago will see the first North American showing of the KODAK MAGNUS 800 platesetter. Introduced last April at the IPEX exhibition in England, the MAGNUS 800 platesetter delivers end to end automation and up to 40 plates per hour, helping to make graphic communications service providers more productive and profitable. The MAGNUS 800 platesetter features new engineering and software for greater performance and reduced downtime. Systems are available that produce 15, 22, 30 and 40 plates per hour, and can be easily upgraded as demand grows. The MAGNUS 800 platesetter is also designed to support future higher speeds. “The MAGNUS 800 platesetter is built to thrive in today’s high image quality, high throughput and deadline driven graphic communications environment, and we’re glad to be showing it at Graph Expo,” said Barry Quart, Vice President, US&C Marketing, Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group. “Its scaleability, ease of use, exceptional imaging capability and durable construction make it an excellent choice for print providers looking to increase productivity while producing high quality, high value print.” Sigler Printing & Publishing, a full service sheetfed printer in Ames, Iowa, has increased revenue by more than 400 percent over the last six years. Consequently the company’s prepress department faced significant growing pains and sought a solution to improve its efficiency. “We needed to improve productivity to support our rapid growth, and had been taking a hard look at our operations to identify bottlenecks,” explained Chris Baker, Prepress Manager, Sigler. “We were experiencing trouble with uptime on our platesetter due to platemaking issues. The lack of dependability had become a big problem.” Sigler replaced its existing system with the MAGNUS 800 thermal platesetter and KODAK SWORD EXCEL thermal printing plates. “I researched all the options, but the minute I saw the MAGNUS 800 platesetter, I stopped looking,” said Baker. “The system’s speed, productivity, and reliability were exactly what we needed. It was a hands down decision.” Initially available as a fully automated system, the MAGNUS 800 platesetter comes with an autoloader with a single cassette unit or multi cassette unit. The single cassette unit holds up to 100 plates and the multi cassette unit holds three to five trays for a total of up to 500 plates. Each tray can hold different sized plates. A semi automatic device featuring continuous loading and inline punch is also available. In the fully automated system, plates move through the MAGNUS 800 platesetter loading system in parallel, rather than waiting for one plate to complete the cycle before starting the next plate. While one plate is being imaged, the next is already loaded and waiting. Users can also easily select a “Quick Plate Remake” option that allows the operator to bypass the autoloader and insert a new plate directly into the imaging device. “With the MAGNUS 800 platesetter, we raised our production level in prepress by 60 percent and reduced plate remakes by more that 30 percent,” added Baker. Transcontinental Quebec, a high quality commercial sheetfed printer in Quebec City, also experienced significant production improvements with a MAGNUS 800 platesetter. Shortly after installing the computer to plate (CTP) solution in September 2005, Transcontinental Quebec doubled its production capacity. “We’re processing 32 plates an hour now with the MAGNUS 800 platesetter,” said Gérard Faucher, Plant Manager, Transcontinental Quebec. “The MAGNUS 800 platesetter helped us increase our productivity without increasing personnel.” For users who demand ultra precise imaging and registration, the MAGNUS 800 QUANTUM platesetter includes KODAK SQUAREspot imaging technology that delivers automatic compensation for temperature related plate expansion and contraction for precise, consistent imaging from plate to plate and machine to machine. The MAGNUS 800 QUANTUM platesetter also supports KODAK STACCATO screening technology in 10 or 20 micron screening for photorealistic imaging. The MAGNUS 800 platesetter is designed for close integration with KODAK workflow solutions to fully utilize the system’s sophisticated features for a highly automated, productive prepress operation. It is also compatible with most other popular workflow systems. MAGNUS 800 platesetters are ideally suited for KODAK branded digital printing plates, including KODAK THERMAL GOLD printing plates, KODAK SWORD EXCEL printing plates and KODAK ELECTRA EXCEL printing plates. The system is also capable of imaging KODAK THERMAL DIRECT non process plates, which can further reduce costs by eliminating time consuming steps and saving floor space. Inline registration, punching, and automatic slip sheet removal make the MAGNUS 800 platesetter easy to use. To accommodate different floor layouts, the loading cassettes can be installed on the left or right side of the autoloader and are located approximately waist high for ergonomic, easy loading. KODAK products are backed by KODAK Service and Support, Kodak’s worldwide service organization. Named Best Support Organization at the 2006 International Business Awards, KODAK Service and Support includes more than 3,000 professionals in 120 countries. These professionals are fully qualified to help customers control costs, maximize productivity, and minimize business risk.