4/12/01 - Over the last year, CreoScitex has aligned its large product offering and now provides the best in class products in every category. Many new products and versions with innovative new features reflect the synergies that have already been realized through the merger of the two leading prepress companies. CreoScitex has met market demands for cross connectivity between the Brisque workflow and Trendsetter output devices, as well as the Prinergy workflow and Lotem platesetters. Innovation continues as the company has filed more than 75 patent applications in the last year. Here is a summary of CreoScitex's new products and versions released during the company's first year: Breakthrough 8-page CTP: Lotem 800 Quantum Featuring the speed and automation of the Lotem CTP systems, and the SQUAREspot thermal imaging heads of the Trendsetter, the Lotem 800 Quantum is the state-of-the-art CTP system from CreoScitex. First shown at Graph Expo last fall in Chicago, the Lotem 800 Quantum is the fastest of the Lotem 800 series with a throughput of 25 8-up plates an hour. New Levels of Performance: Trendsetter and Lotem CreoScitex boosted the productivity of the Trendsetter and Lotem platesetter family with speed increases of up to 50% through the addition of dual-loading cassette and multi-cassette unit options, Spectrum proofing for integrated digital halftone proofing, FM and High Definition Printing screening, and automatic temperature compensation, which allows consistent imaging within a wide range of ambient temperatures. Bundles Ease CTP Entry Several entry-level configurations were created to ease the computer-to-plate conversion for smaller commercial printers. The PS/M workflow system is bundled with the Trendsetter 3230+ S, Trendsetter 3244+ S and Lotem 400V. Current users of Dolev imagesetters and PS/M will find this an easy path to CTP. Market Leading Workflows Enhanced New enhanced versions of both Prinergy and Brisque, the market leading commercial workflow systems were released, part of the ongoing development of both products. CreoScitex also announced a vision of development components to provide job management capabilities for both Prinergy and Brisque users in the future. Prinergy Powerpack and BrisquePack, dedicated to the packaging market, also entered the beta phase. Profile Wizard Suite 2.0 Enhances Color Management The new version of Profile Wizard Suite 2.0 automatically generates ICC input, display, output and DeviceLink profiles for color imaging devices. New features provide higher print predictability and improve color quality and cost-efficiency, as fewer corrections and manipulations are required. EverSmart oXYgen Increases Productivity The CreoScitex premium line of scanners, EverSmart Supreme and EverSmart Pro II, has a new scanning application. EverSmart oXYgen incorporates a Scan Once, Output Many (SOOM) workflow. Comprised of two modules, Scan and Open, the EverSmart oXYgen application provides a new scanning workflow solution for top quality scanning with the highest productivity and maximum flexibility. The SOOM concept means original artwork is scanned only once, saved as a pure 16 bit Digital Transparency (DT) file, and then can be re-purposed for as many output applications as needed. Fast Spire Color Server for Digital Printers Recently introduced, the Spire CSX2000 drives the Xerox DocuColor 2045 and 2060 color digital printers at printer-rated speed. Spire color servers, developed especially for the on demand, digital printing market, deliver top performance through a very fast RIP and unique productivity-enhancing features. These features include the innovative Gallop mode, which enables users to RIP and print the same file simultaneously, and a powerful but easy-to-use, built-in imposition tool that can be used with any application, including variable information jobs. The servers' intuitive user interface, together with the renowned CreoScitex color image quality and unlimited variable information capabilities, bring exceptional value to digital printers and their customers. The Spire Color Server announced last year, enables Xerox color digital printers, such as DocuColor 70, 100, 130 and the DocuColor 2000 line, to deliver top performance through an intuitive user interface, very fast RIP, renowned CreoScitex color image quality, high productivity and limitless variable information capabilities. Based on advanced printing technologies and robust architecture, Spire servers enable users to easily handle any job, from the simplest presentation to the most complex long run variable information job. Narrow Web Solution with ThermoFlex 2630 The ThermoFlex 2630 enhances the quality of flexographic printing by eliminating the film contact during platemaking. Like all ThermoFlex platesetters, ThermoFlex 2630 features the same 830nm laser thermal imaging and external drum technology as the Lotem and Trendsetter platesetters for the offset market. The ThermoFlex 2630 images all commercially available flexo media from Asahi, McDermid, BASF and DuPont, as well as Kodak Polychrome Graphics Thermal Film. Innovative SP Plateless DOP Technology Drew Crowds Commercial interest in Digital Offset Printing (DOP) presses enabled by the CreoScitex high-performance, on-press imaging system, was strong in North America when CreoScitex demonstrated the SP plateless DOP technology for the first time at Graph Expo last fall. The SP plateless DOP process consists of spraying lithographic material in a thin coating onto a reusable substrate that is mounted on the plate cylinder of an offset press. This eliminates the need for lithographic plates, simplifying logistics and reducing on-press make ready time. SQUAREspot DOP imaging technology then images the media by switching its lithographic properties. At the end of the print run, the substrate is cleaned and is ready for the next print job. Agfa LiteSpeed liquid lithographic media was used for the Graph Expo demonstrations and the entire changeover from job to job took less than eight minutes.