John O'Rourke has over 20 years of experience in the print and publishing industry. He is the Consumables Product Manager at Presstek and has been key to the growth of DI in our industry. Presstek, Inc. is a leading developer of digital laser imaging and chemistry-free plate technologies for the printing and graphic arts industries. Marketed to world-leading press manufacturers and directly to end users, Presstek's patented DI®, CTP and plate products eliminate photographic darkrooms, film and toxic processing chemicals, reduce the printing turnaround time and lower the production costs. The company's Lasertel subsidiary supplies it with the valuable resources necessary for its next generation laser imaging devices.

Q: John, tell us about the design principle for the Applause.

O'Rourke: Applause is a true process-free plate, which means that there is no further treatment after imaging - just image and print. The design principle for Applause is based on applying a thermally ablative, water receptive (hydrophilic) coating on top of an ink receptive (oleophylic) substrate. Because the top coating is ablative, we can physically remove it using only thermal laser energy (think of this as laser engraving). As the laser strikes the ablative coating, the molecules excite very rapidly to the point where the coating breaks up and is ejected from the surface of the plate. Removal of the hydrophilic coating reveals an ink receptive layer beneath. Removal of the coating is more than 99% efficient, there is no need for any treatment of the plate after imaging - once it has been written by the laser, it is ready to print.


Q: Specifically, how does this make the imaging process "physical" instead of "chemical"?

O'Rourke: The ablative layer is a ceramic compound. The functional properties of this material is that it is very hard, water loving and ablative. From a design standpoint, ceramics can be applied using Presstek's unique vacuum deposition process. This process allows us to apply incredibly thin, highly uniform coatings. The ceramic coating on Applause have total thickness of 25 nanometers (for reference, 1 nanometer = 1/1,000 micron, 1/1,000,000 millimeter, or 1/100 the thickness of a human hair). The thinness of the coating contributes to the efficiency of ablation - the entire imaging process is a purely physical one. No developing chemistry of any type is required and unlike other so called process-free plates, the plate does not "develop" in the fountain chemistry on press.

Another important benefit of the vacuum deposition manufacturing process is that it allows us to apply our coatings to a variety of substrates. The functional coatings in Applause are applied to a polyester substrate. When we wish to make an aluminum plate, we apply coatings to a very thin polyester film and then laminate it to an aluminum base. By using a thicker polyester film, we can deliver cut sheet polyester plates or wind plate material onto spools for use in internal cylinder mounting on DI presses. In each case, the functional properties of the plate are the same, no matter what the format.


Q: Would Applause be compatible with any wet offset press?

O'Rourke: Applause is a wet offset printing plate. This makes it compatible with virtually any wet offset press. Clearly, a product like Applause is ideal for use on DI presses. Our PEARLdry plate is currently used in over 90% of the world's DI presses.While it does not require any developing chemistry, it does need an automated cleaning step after imaging to prepare the plate for printing. Applause eliminates this step, saving make-ready time and allowing even simpler and lower cost DI press design. In this regard, Applause is an enabling product that will allow even more efficient and affordable DI presses to come to market. We expect that Applause will achieve significant market share on DI presses.


Q: What CTP applications for Applause are there?

O'Rourke: Elimination of processors, ovens and processing chemistry is a tremendous advantage for any printer. We see a particular attraction for this type of product in overseas markets where printers typically work in much smaller physical spaces than we do here in the US. Freeing up the floor space currently occupied by plates processors, back -up chemistry and other support infrastructure like baking ovens is a a major advantage.


Q: Can you offer a rough date for when you will present Applause as a market ready product?

O'Rourke: We are presenting Applause at IPEX as a technology introduction. There will be at the very least, an imaging demonstration. We do not yet have a time-line for beta and commercial sale, however this is an advanced prototype that will offer real benefits in the marketplace. We have to bring the design through our manufacturing scale up process - this is already underway. We will bring the product to market as quickly as possible.


Q: What results have been most encouraging from internal testing?

O'Rourke: The most exciting result is that we have broken the run length barrier. Applause runs for 100K impressions - this meets the requirement for 90% of all print jobs. All previous process-free or quasi process-free plates have been limited to 20K to 30K impressions run length. Also, the fact that image formation is a purely physical process, requiring no chemistry means that we can deliver a substantially higher level of consistency with Applause. The elimination of process steps not only gives you a simpler process, but also one that is more predictable and repeatable - the importance of consistency is frequently overlooked. The fewer steps you have in a process, the fewer things can go wrong.


Q: What is the true ROI impact seen for this product for a printer versus their current process?

O'Rourke: The ROI for Applause in manifold. First, there is no acquisition cost for developing hardware (processors, ovens, etc). This reduces the total cost of entry to CTP. Next, the labor component associated with this hardware is eliminated. The total time dedicated to care and feeding of a conventional plate processor averages about 4 hours per week (10% of a standard work week!). This labor can now be freed up and reallocated to productive work.

The cost of developing chemistry is frequently overlooked. A typical printer using 60,000 square feet of plate product per year will spend roughly $15,000 on developing chemistry (developer / replenisher, finisher / gum). Depending on the system, between 1,000 and 2,000 gallons of waste chemistry is generated per year. Disposal costs for spent chemistry are about $5 / gallon in the US. In some overseas markets (Japan for example), this cost can exceed $20 / gallon - disposal costs can actually exceed purchase costs!

Energy costs for baking ovens and supplemental air conditioning operation are also eliminated. Again, these costs will vary widely by region, but electrically fired baking ovens can costs thousands of dollars per year to operate. Also, these devices are not small - some "plate trains" can be 40 feet long! This is a much more important factor in overseas markets where space is at a premium.


Q: One of the most difficult expenses to measure is the value of consistent platemaking. Plate remakes cost money, not just in materials, but in lost production time. Quantify the savings from a simpler imaging process.

O'Rourke: Every printer knows what can happen when the complex process of chemically developed platemaking goes awry. You need to backtrack down the process to find what went wrong. Sometimes the developer has gone stale. Sometimes the oven temperature wasn't consistent. The bottom line is: when you have more steps in your process, you have to look in more places to find out what went wrong. Sometimes, this investigation takes place while the press is down and waiting for a new (good) plate - it's like settling fire to your profits!

Changing the platemaking process form a chemical one to a physical one eliminates steps and delivers a more predictable, repeatable process. The value of getting a good plate every time cannot be overstated. We believe that these benefits are important and have high value for printers. We are very comfortable that Applause will deliver a very fast return on investment.