KENNESAW, Ga. – March 19, 2008 –Scott Merritt, owner of Merritt Press in Lansing, Mich., decided the time was right to upgrade his shop to its first computer-to-plate system last fall. "We first looked at computer-to-plate systems six or seven years ago, but the expense was so high we could not justify it," Merritt said. "Now the systems have come down in price, and we knew it was time to make the move. If any business is going to succeed, it's got to have up-to-date equipment."

Merritt installed a Suprasetter A52 platesetter from Heidelberg shortly before Christmas and has been pleased with the results. "It's awesome. I can't say enough good things about this system because it's freed up a lot of my time," Merritt said. "I was doing a lot of the prepress stripping and plate burning myself. The new Suprasetter has freed up about four hours a day of my time. That's huge." Merritt also has been impressed with the quality improvement of the Suprasetter over traditional camera-and-film work.  

And with minimal processing, thanks to Saphira chemfree thermal plates from Heidelberg, running the plates has never been easier or more environmentally friendly. "When we go to press with it, the clarity of the letters and the screens is a remarkable difference over what we had before," Merritt said. "Plus, in terms of productivity, we can probably kick out as many plates in one day as we did all week before." Merritt Press was founded in 1985 and prints envelopes, letterheads, business cards and other commercial work. In addition to the Suprasetter A52, the shop runs a Printmaster QM 46 press from Heidelberg for sheet work.