Mortsel, Belgium, 24 February 2003 - Agfa announced that the total number of Lithostar LP82 Ultra plate processors sold now exceeds 1,000 since commercial shipments first began in late 2000. Combined with the thousands of sales of LP150 processors and the original LP82 processors, this latest milestone is a strong indication that Agfa's violet CtP revolution shows no sign of slowing down. The LP82 Ultra was launched with the Lithostar Ultra plate at Drupa 2000. Demand for Violet CtP Continues, Growing "Faster Than Ever" The successful launch of violet CtP has fuelled the continued growth of Lithostar. "Since Drupa 2000 there has been absolutely no let-up in the demand for violet CtP, in fact we see demand growing faster than ever" commented Theo De Keersmaecker, Agfa's worldwide marketing manager for digital plates. "Violet has been popular in all areas of the print market, 4-up and 8-up in particular have seen huge growth. The launch of products such as the violet Polaris X CtP system for newspaper publishers and the violet Palladio for smaller printers are also generating activity in those markets. The extended violet diode laser life combined with high quality imaging and low cost of ownership has proven to be a popular combination the world over." Violet technology offers ease of use, speed and flexibility. While violet has been embraced as the technology of choice for today's demanding CtP environments in both commercial and newspaper printing, is not the only CtP option available to printers. Violet CtP technology continues to grow alongside thermal and photopolymer, which also continue to be popular among many printers. "Looking at the CTP market today, it is plain to see that no single CtP technology is suitable for everyone, no single CTP technology dominates" De Keersmaecker added. "It is clear that the print industry has a need for photopolymer CtP technology, thermal and silver halide. But the arrival of violet has been the catalyst that was required to allow a significant number of printers to migrate to CtP - and that's exactly what we have seen and what we continue to see." The Lithostar Ultra generation is a complete system including plate, developer, finisher and enhanced processing. The Ultra developer has wider exhaustion latitude, which allows it to work at maximum strength for a longer period of time. This saves users both time and money by having to change chemicals less frequently.