ROCHESTER, N.Y., Jan. 26—The new KODAK MAGNUS 800 platesetter delivers end to end automation and up to 40 plates per hour, helping to make graphic communications service providers more productive and profitable. Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group (GCG) announced the launch of the new 8-page computer to plate (CTP) device at IPEX MediaWeek in London on Jan. 26. The MAGNUS 800 platesetter is now available for purchase. The MAGNUS 800 platesetter features new engineering and software for greater performance and reduced downtime. Systems are available that produce 15, 22, 30 and 40 plates per hour and can be easily upgraded as demand grows. The MAGNUS 800 platesetter is also designed to support future higher speeds. Initially available as a fully automated system, the MAGNUS 800 platesetter comes with an autoloader with a single-cassette unit or multi-cassette unit. The single-cassette unit holds up to 100 plates and the multi-cassette unit holds five trays for a total of 500 plates. Each tray can hold different sized plates. A semi-automatic device with continuous loading and inline punch will be available in mid-2006. In the fully automated system, plates move through the MAGNUS 800 platesetter loading system in parallel, rather than waiting for one plate to complete the cycle before starting the next plate. While one plate is being imaged, the next is already loaded and waiting. Users can also easily select a “Quick Plate Remake” option that allows the operator to bypass the autoloader and insert a new plate directly into the imaging device. For users who demand ultra precise imaging and registration, the MAGNUS 800 Quantum platesetter includes SQUAREspot imaging technology that delivers automatic compensation for temperature related plate expansion and contraction for precise, consistent imaging from plate to plate and machine to machine. The MAGNUS 800 Quantum platesetter also supports STACCATO screening technology in 10 or 20 micron screening for photorealistic imaging. “Our number one goal is to maximize presstime,” said Chris Illa, Operations Manager at Japs-Olson Company near Minneapolis, a $133 million direct mail and commercial printing company and a beta site for two MAGNUS 800 Quantum platesetters with autoloaders and multi-cassette units. “The KODAK MAGNUS 800 platesetter images plates so fast and with such reliability that our platemaking time has been dramatically reduced. This means our presses are up and running all the time. If you think about presstime as valuable dollars—which we do—each time a press is down, that costs us money. With the MAGNUS 800 platesetter, platemaking is no longer a bottleneck.” “With a speed four times superior to our previous platesetter, the MAGNUS 800 platesetter brings us an unequalled level of performance,” said Michel Dridé, Président Directeur Général, Imprimerie Dridé, a beta user in France. “Combined with a more flexible and rapid plate load capability, the MAGNUS 800 platesetter ensures perfectly fluid production to the pressroom. It allows us, among other things, to use all of our workflow resources to a level of nonstop production, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.” “We installed two MAGNUS 800 platesetters in August 2005 and have already produced over 50,000 plates on them,” said Johan Michels, Head of Engineering Wilco, Netherlands, a beta site in Europe. “Kodak was a pleasure to work with. We had weekly conference calls during the installation period and they really listened to our needs and made adjustments where necessary. The machines are very stable, and the plate handling is great. We couldn’t be happier. It’s a great product.” “Everything about the MAGNUS 800 platesetter is designed and constructed for today’s highly productive and fast-paced graphic communications environment,” said James Langley, President, GCG, and Senior Vice President, Kodak. “It is fully scaleable, easy to use, and features the image quality and durable construction you would expect from the company with a reputation for delivering CTP devices that are both reliable and able to accurately reproduce the most delicate of designs.” The MAGNUS 800 platesetter is designed for close integration with KODAK workflow solutions to fully utilize the system’s sophisticated features for a highly automated, productive prepress operation. It is also compatible with most other popular workflow systems. MAGNUS 800 platesetters are ideally suited for KODAK branded digital printing plates, including KODAK THERMAL GOLD printing plates, KODAK SWORD EXCEL printing plates and KODAK ELECTRA EXCEL printing plates. The system is also capable of imaging KODAK THERMAL DIRECT non process plates and other chemistry-free plates, which can further reduce costs by eliminating time consuming steps and saving floor space. “With the MAGNUS 800 platesetter we know that the first plate is as good as the last plate. The accuracy is 100 percent. We track our plate quality closely, and the MAGNUS 800 platesetter gives us the confidence to take a plate out to press knowing that the plate is going to be perfect each time,” Illa said. Inline registration, punching, and automatic slip sheet removal make the MAGNUS 800 platesetter easy to use. To accommodate different floor layouts, the loading trays can be installed on the left or right side of the autoloader and are located approximately waist high for ergonomic, easy loading. After its introduction at IPEX MediaWeek, the MAGNUS 800 platesetter will be shown at Graphitec in Paris on March 15-18 and then at IPEX in Birmingham, England, April 4-11. The MAGNUS 800 platesetter joins the KODAK LOTEM 800 II platesetter and KODAK TRENDSETTER 800 II platesetter in Kodak’s 8-page CTP offerings.