Wake Forest, N.C. - Seven newspaper printing companies in the United States recently switched to Southern Lithoplate, Inc. as their supplier of thermal and violet digital plates for producing high-quality newspapers and commercial projects.

The Temple Daily Telegram, a PAGE Co-op member in Temple, Texas, has enjoyed the imaging speed and improved print reproduction associated with computer-to-plate (CtP) technology for the past two and a half years. The Daily Telegram now keeps its 10-unit Goss Urbanite press fed with Southern Lithoplate VIPER 830 thermal plates. The seven-day morning newspaper uses 5,000 to 6,500 plates per month to print 19,400 daily and 23,000 Sunday copies of the Daily Telegram. Custom jobs for commercial clients include school system newsletters printed on a quarterly basis.

"We were happy with our existing CtP equipment, but we saw a definite cost advantage in changing from the plates we had been using as part of the CtP package to VIPER plates," said Richard Herschler, business manager. "Southern Lithoplate had supplied our analog plates for years prior to our installing CtP, so we were comfortable with them. They manufacture high-quality products, and the service response has always been very good. The VIPER plates perform well on press. The replenish rate on the plate chemistry is much lower than the previous vendor's chemistry. We gain additional cost savings there."

Casey Printing in King City, Calif., caters to publishers throughout the western United States. The company's web and sheetfed presses run around the clock, generating catalogs, magazines, directories, tabloids and a variety of other printed products. VIPER plates are an integral component of its printing capabilities.

The Times, a Gannett Co., Inc. property in Shreveport, La., also opted for VIPER plates. Founded in 1871, The Times serves readers in northwest Louisiana and east Texas.

The Billings Gazette of Billings, Mont., added VIPER plates to its prepress operations. Owned by Lee Enterprises, the Billings Gazette is the largest daily newspaper in Montana, with a weekday circulation of 47,100 and a Sunday circulation of 52,400.

The Harrison Daily Times, a PAGE Co-op member in Harrison, Ark., moved to VIPER plates as well. The Daily Times has published continuously since 1876. It appears Tuesday through Saturday mornings. The paper reports a paid circulation of just over 9,000 copies.

The Dover Post in Dover, De., switched from processless plates back to VIPER plates. GateHouse Media, Inc. owns the weekly newspaper.

The Ridgway Record, a PAGE Co-op member in Ridgway, Pa., is one of the latest daily newspapers to implement Southern Lithoplate Replica HSV violet photopolymer plates. Part of Horizon Publications, the Ridgway Record is published Monday through Saturday and has a circulation of 2,650.