Hudson, NH – October 17, 2008 – Presstek, Inc., the leading manufacturer and marketer of digital offset printing solutions, today announced that it will be showing a UV printing option for the Presstek 52DI and 34DI digital offset presses for the first time in North America at Graph Expo, scheduled for October 26th through 29th at McCormick Place South in Chicago. This new option offers print service providers the ability to address a wider range of applications and markets.

"UV printing is one of the fastest growing business opportunities in the offset printing world," said Klaus Schleicher, Presstek Group Product Director, Digital Printing Business Unit. "Now print service providers can enjoy all of the benefits of DI printing-speed, quality and ease-of-use-while broadening their market reach. The already wide range of applications that can be cost-effectively produced on Presstek DI presses just got wider, making it easier for printers to differentiate themselves in a very competitive marketplace, with even faster turnaround times."

The Benefits of UV Printing with Presstek DI Presses
The UV option for the DI press significantly expands the range of applications that can be produced-including better print durability and quality on an even wider range of substrates such as plastics, vinyls and foils. In addition, higher color saturation can be achieved on uncoated stock. Printing with UV inks speeds throughput by drying instantly as each sheet exits onto a transport ramp, under UV lights and into a high-pile delivery system. This gets jobs into finishing more quickly than conventional offset printing. In addition, UV waterless inks are environmentally friendly, with no VOCs or water usage. The inks also maintain consistency during the press run, resulting in less run waste. Waste minimization becomes a very important benefit, especially when printing on an expensive specialty stock for specific UV applications.

Presstek 52DI and 34DI presses offer waterless printing and on-press chemistry-free platemaking. This combination translates into higher quality and substantially less overall waste than conventional printing processes. On-press imaging ensures precise registration and fast run-up. The DI's ability to go from file to sellable color within 20 sheets provides fast turnaround with less makeready waste. Presstek DI digital offset presses offer the ability to print on a wide range of substrates from 0.0024" to 0.02" (0.06 mm to 0.5 mm) thick. High quality is achieved with up to 300 lpi printing, as well as stochastic (FM) screening without incurring additional time or expense.

The Executive Director of the Waterless Printing Association, Arthur Lefebvre concluded, "UV printing capabilities on the highly automated DI press is a potent combination that elevates both quality and ease of operation to new levels. UV waterless inks do not change consistency or color strength due to evaporation or pH, like conventional wet offset inks, so the DI press's high quality is maintained over the entire press run. Plus, cost savings can be realized for labor, consumables, and press maintenance since UV inks do not dry in the ink fountain."

The UV option will be demonstrated on the Presstek 52DI, and is commercially available for both the Presstek 52DI and 34DI digital offset press. The Presstek 52DI is a landscape format press with a maximum sheet size of 20.47" x 14.17"; and the Presstek 34DI offers a portrait format with a maximum sheet size of 13.39" x 18.11".