Scorpion Extends KPG's Line of Thermal CtP Offerings Chicago, Illinois, USA - Kodak Polychrome Graphics (KPG) announced today at Graph Expo 2002 the United States and Canada launch of a new line of thermal waterless printing plates: the Scorpion X54 and the Scorpion X54 Plus. Scorpion offers excellent imaging and processing speeds, features accurate color reproduction, precise dot control and consistency, and superior on press performance. Write-the-image Scorpion plates are made of an aluminum substrate with a thermally sensitive resin layer capped by silicone, and rated at 100,000 - 200,000 impressions. Scorpion is available in .009 and .012 gauges and is compatible with all standard waterless inksets. It is non-ablative and can be imaged with resolution of 2% to 98% at 300-line. The spectral range is approximately 50 nm, from 800 - 850 nm. Scorpion X54 and X54 Plus printing plates can be exposed using most thermal 830 platesetters. The Scorpion X54 Plus plate has a thin clear polypropylene cover sheet to protect the plate from potential handling abrasion and scuffing in some platesetters. The sheet is removed just prior to processing. KPG plans to introduce a state-of-the-art processor for use with the Scorpion plates in the coming months. "Thermal CtP eliminates problems such as dust and dirt on the plates that slow makeready time associated with conventional waterless platemaking. With Scorpion plates we've taken the processing efficiency and print quality of digital waterless plates to the next higher level," said Fil Craver, Product Manager, CtP/Equipment/Chemistry. "The introduction of Scorpion plates extends KPG's commitment to providing the widest thermal CtP offerings in the industry, including the SWORD thermal printing plate, Thermal Gold printing plate and ThermalNews printing plate." Eliminating water in conventional printing provides several advantages including more consistent color, better color saturation, low dot gain, more paper and finishing options with less waste, and faster makeready. The advent of CtP technology has enhanced the benefits of waterless printing.