Chicago, Illinois, USA -The plate that started the digital revolution is getting better, as Kodak Polychrome Graphics (KPG) introduces the Thermal Gold Printing Plate, the next generation of Thermal Printing Plate/830. Shown for the first time at PRINT 01, Thermal Gold plates offer even faster imaging speeds and greater imaging latitude. "Thermal CtP technology continues to make major advances, and the industry's most popular thermal plate is advancing with it," said Jeff Jacobson, Chief Executive Officer. "Imaging lasers are more powerful, so platesetters have the ability to be faster. Thermal Gold plates are specifically designed to help customers maximize the potential of newer imaging devices." In fact, Thermal Gold plates are ideally suited for today's higher powered, 40 watt or greater infrared lasers. Imaging a Thermal Gold plate requires less energy from the laser. When combined with more powerful lasers, the total imaging time can be shortened significantly. Like its GATF award-winning predecessor, Thermal Printing Plate/830, Thermal Gold plates are hardworking. It provides outstanding run lengths of more than one million impressions when post-baked and up to 150,000 without baking. Thermal Gold plates also offer exceptional chemical resistance and superb ink/water balance. The Thermal Gold Printing Plate also cuts turnaround time from start-to-finish helping meet deadlines and making pressrooms more efficient. These plates roll up to color quickly, saving time and materials. With 1-99% resolution at 300 line screen, Thermal Gold plates deliver the most accurate results of any CtP solution on the market. It eliminates dot edge spreading, because once the laser's thermal energy reaches the minimum threshold needed to form the image, any additional energy has no effect on the dots' size or shape. With the Thermal Gold Printing Plate, the laser writes the image rather than the background, so it can handle multiple exposures from any combination of digital and analog sources. The latent image is extremely stable, so exposed Thermal Gold plates can be stored and processed when they're needed. "Thermal Gold plates' versatility also makes them the right choice for printers making the transition from conventional to digital workflows or who still print jobs from a film archive," said Bruce Davidson, Worldwide Marketing Manager, Plates. "They can be imaged digitally or using film negatives and UV light. They look, feel and handle like quality conventional litho plates and can often be used with existing fountain solutions, so its easy on the press room."