Rolling Meadows, Ill. - Boone Newspapers, Inc. has implemented a new digital prepress workflow built around the Esprit violet platesetter from alfaQuest Technologies, Inc. and Southern Lithoplate violet printing plates. The newspaper company installed the computer-to-plate (CtP) system at the Alexander City Outlook in Alexander City, Ala.

"I want to say how happy I am with the Esprit platemaker and our SLP violet plates," said Kenneth Boone, publisher. "This is a simple, elegant solution that's going to save us time and newsprint waste while streamlining our workflow and improving quality."

Published six days a week, the Alexander City Outlook previously operated conventional analog prepress equipment. The Esprit uses state-of-the-art violet laser imaging. Its highly reliable opto-mechanical system guarantees precision plate alignment and positioning, ensuring accurate repeatability for color registration.

"Startup waste and time savings will be very significant," Boone observed. "We're getting plates from computer to press in about four minutes, and we've cut our startup waste by about 75 percent!"

Esprit installs in a few hours and runs rock solid thereafter. In addition, the compact footprint requires little space. The unit also operates on standard household current. The exceptionally low Esprit investment provides cost justification for smaller volume publications.

"Statistically, our Esprit customers support circulations ranging from a low of 2,300 to a high of 21,275 with publishing cycles from one to seven days per week," noted John Lally, alfaQuest's senior vice president of group sales. "All but one are single-unit Esprit installations. There has never been a cost-effective digital solution for the suburban newspaper market prior to Esprit's development. We are most gratified with its success."

"alfaQuest continues to prove an excellent choice for CtP among our analog customers" added Steven Mattingly, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Southern Lithoplate. "Combining Southern Lithoplate's violet plate and best-in-class support program with alfaQuest hardware and support, Boone Newspapers has a solid digital platform for the future."

Boone was impressed by the fast and confident transition to CtP production.

"alfaQuest's support personnel were extremely knowledgeable, easy to work with, practical and problem-solvers who made the transition and installation go as smoothly as possible," Boone stated. "After working with them and seeing the Esprit in action, I'm sure I invested in the right machine and the right company."