Hudson, N.H. – Sept. 5, 2007 – Presstek Inc., the leading manufacturer and marketer of digital offset printing business solutions, today announced that it will feature its full line of digital offset solutions and celebrate 20 years of company innovation at Graph Expo 2007 (Booth # 3829), the largest North American printing trade show, Sept. 9-12, 2007, at McCormick Place in Chicago.  The company will showcase its chemistry-free digital offset Direct Imaging (DI) presses and CTP solutions, as well as introduce several enhancements to the Presstek product line.  In addition, Presstek's new premier distributor, Pitman Company (Booth # 4421), will highlight Presstek's DI presses in its booth.
Presstek has long been recognized with industry awards for its ground-breaking products and holds numerous patents for its extensive line of advanced color printing solutions. Presstek has successfully pioneered a wide range of market "firsts" – continuously introducing next-generation color printing products including the first on-press DI printing technology and the first chemistry-free CTP system to the market.
"Presstek has been advancing printing technologies for more than 20 years, and at Graph Expo, we will demonstrate how our range of products help printers become more capable, profitable and competitive," said Jeff Jacobson, chief executive officer of Presstek. "As the printing industry landscape changes, Presstek's digital offset print solutions provide a level of flexibility, speed, quality and ease-of-use that is a breakthrough for printers who are faced with the daily reality of quickly producing a wide variety of short-run color work – and doing so profitably."
This year at Graph Expo, Presstek will feature its high-quality, easy-to-use and environmentally friendly Presstek 52DI that has seen rapid adoption since it was first introduced to the market last year. In addition, Presstek will be showing the Presstek 34DI, Dimension425 Excel and Vector TX52 CTP system. The company will also be introducing and demonstrating the Presstek Momentum Pro workflow system and the Dimension450 Excel-Autoloader CTP system.
Presstek DI: A Smarter Way to Print
The latest generation DI press, the Presstek 52DI, combines automation and digital efficiency with the flexibility and quality of offset printing – all in one compact footprint.  According to Dr. Joe Webb of Strategies for Management: "Profitable printers have realized that streamlining is not enough and a grander re-thinking of the nature of the printing business is needed. Presstek's products allow for a restructuring of the print business to match the likely changes in the nature of print demand."
The Presstek 52DI digital offset press offers the lowest average cost per page for 250-10,000 impressions and can produce more jobs in less time. This run length range is one of the fastest growing segments in the print industry, and Webb states that "Eighty percent of four-color printing is 5,000 impressions or less." With regard to cost savings, InfoTrends, Inc. market research concludes that on average, a typical job on a Presstek 52DI costs half as much per page as a comparable job run on a high-volume, toner-based digital device, and is 13 percent more profitable than conventional offset. The Presstek 52DI affords printers the ability to maximize their revenue by using the right tool for the right job, making it a cost-effective solution for a changing marketplace.
Jerry Keller, vice president of Universal Lithographers, a 42-person print shop in Sheboygan, Wis. said, "Universal produces high-end, complex and demanding work for a variety of customers. We looked at all of the toner-based products as well as the 52DI.  In the end, we decided that the 52DI was the best match for our core competencies – delivering high-quality printing quickly.  We now produce short-run, fast-turn jobs profitably, helping us to retain and grow our business."
Tom Roberts, president of Furbush-Roberts Printing, Inc., a fourth-generation, family-owned business in Bangor, Maine, said, "By putting short runs on the 34DI and longer runs on the five-color press, we are using each press to its advantage and maximizing our revenue generation."
The Presstek DI digital offset press is able to image all four plates simultaneously on-press in precise register and outputs a 16 micron spot with automated support for 300 lpi and FM screening.  In addition, it automatically adjusts the amount of ink according to the image on each plate, resulting in high-quality output and a makeready time significantly faster than other offset printing processes – offering printers a distinct competitive advantage. File-to-sellable printing sheet occurs in 10 minutes. The Presstek 52DI prints up to 10,000 impressions per hour with a maximum image area of 20.07 x 14.17" per sheet – one of the largest print areas available in its class. The Presstek 34DI portrait format digital offset press produces up to 7,000 13.39 x 18.11" sheets per hour.
New Presstek Product Line Enhancements
Presstek continues to enhance its product offerings and will introduce and demonstrate its new Presstek Momentum Pro Integrated PDF Workflow system at this year's Graph Expo. Building on its Momentum RIP (raster image processor), Presstek's Momentum Pro is a fully-integrated RIP and workflow solution designed to streamline and automate the production process using certified PDF tools. The workflow can be used as a centralized PDF creation and preflight system, ensuring consistent output to multiple devices for small to mid-size printers.
"The new Momentum Pro is a simple, easy-to-use and affordable workflow solution that provides versatile job management with an easy user interface, streamlining the print production process," said John Flynn, workflow marketing manager for Presstek. "The improved PDF capability of this addition to Presstek's product portfolio gives printers the ability to control the workflow from the prepress workstation and increase productivity all in one flexible workflow solution."
Presstek will also introduce the Dimension450 Excel-Autoloader, which is a new plate-loading automation feature for Presstek's four-page thermal computer-to-plate (CTP) platesetter system. The Dimension450 Excel-Autoloader is a cost-effective, automated plate loader that is fully integrated with the Dimension450 and mounts up to 20 pre-punched plates for continuous operation. The Autoloader enhances imaging productivity, allowing continuous chemistry-free plate making at a throughput speed of 17 plates per hour.
"Presstek's Dimension450 Excel-Autoloader streamlines the workflow with its automated, chemistry-free and daylight safe CTP plate loader, helping to increase the productivity and capacity of the shop," said Scott Champeau, CTP marketing manager for Presstek.
Presstek will take orders for Momentum Pro and Dimension450 Excel-Autoloader at Graph Expo Booth # 3829.