Gent (Belgium), March 1, 2004 – Smaller commercial printers are searching for simple and straightforward conversion to CtP, at a very affordable price. In response, Esko-Graphics, the market leader in commercial violet CtP solutions, is introducing the PlateDriver Compact, aimed at 2-up and 4-up printing companies that want to progress from film-based platemaking to CtP. The PlateDriver Compact, just as its other family members, has an internal drum design that guarantees the highest possible geometric and registration accuracy, and perfect dot quality. The PlateDriver Compact also uses a 40 mW violet laser, which is equally suited to expose silver and photopolymer plates. Violet silver halide plates can run up to 350.000 impressions and violet photopolymer plates, when baked, can provide more than 1 million impressions. Esko-Graphics offers the same 3-year unconditional warranty on the violet laser system as it does with other PlateDriver models. The PlateDriver Compact has a fixed optical resolution of 2540 dpi, which allows for screen rulings up to 200 lpi. With a 36,000 rpm spinner, the PlateDriver Compact offers impressive productivity of twenty 4-up plates per hour, meeting the requirements of most small to medium printers running two or three presses. The system supports a maximum plate format of 615 x 745mm. The built-in 3-point plate registration system assures that plates are ready for post punching prior to mounting on press. The PlateDriver Compact is operated manually like a conventional contact frame, in a yellow safelight room. The operator simply opens the lid and places the printing plate onto the horizontal loading table. The plate is automatically clamped, loaded into the cylinder and exposed. When exposure is complete, the plate is sent back to the loading table, which returns to horizontal position. The plate is unclamped and ready for manual removal. The PlateDriver Compact comes with an easy-to-use integrated queue management system. Using it, the press operator can launch plates for output, whenever needed. The PlateDriver Compact comes economically bundled with Esko-Graphics’ FlowDrive 4 workflow solution, or integrates into any existing prepress workflow system able to deliver one-bit TIFF files. “Our research showed that many smaller printers are looking for an entry into CtP, but with a system that can deliver high quality plates.” comments Peter Christian Jensen, Esko-Graphics product manager for PlateDriver Compact. “By installing an easy-to-use manual system along with violet CtP technology and internal drum architecture, these printers don’t have to sacrifice quality. And, using violet photopolymer plates, they can economically print jobs competitive to those produced by larger printing companies.”