DRUPA 2004, DUSSELDORF, GERMANY -- May 13, 2004 -- Creo has introduced two important additions to its plate portfolio at drupa 2004, the largest international trade show for print media production. Creo is launching a waterless polyester plate for direct imaging presses and is showing a processless aluminum plate suitable for commercial offset printing at the Creo Stand B10, Hall 4. The elimination of plate processing delivers substantial benefits to printers including reduced capital requirements, lower maintenance costs, faster turnaround times, and a lower cost of operation. Clarus WL: Waterless Polyester Plate for Direct Imaging... The new Clarus(tm) WL waterless polyester plate is affordable, easy-to-use and suitable for run lengths of up to 30,000 impressions. It is a drop-in compatible solution for direct imaging presses that yields consistent high-quality results. The Clarus WL plate has the highest sensitivity of any digital imaging thermal waterless plate available today, reducing overall energy consumption while allowing lower power output from the laser imaging unit. The Clarus WL plate is already in use by customers in Europe and North America and will be commercially available in the next quarter. Clarus PL: Processless Plate... The new Clarus(tm) PL processless plate is being imaged by the Trendsetter(r) 800 Quantum CTP imaging device in a technology demonstration in the commercial and publication section of the Creo stand at drupa. The Clarus PL plate is a true processless plate and requires no gumming, processing or post-imaging treatment. Processless plates increase the environmental benefits of the computer-to-plate approach since no chemicals are required for processing. The Clarus PL plate is targeted for run lengths of up to 50,000 impressions. Commercialization plans will be announced at a later date. Creo Quote... "Creo led the industry in 1995 by introducing thermal imaging as the superior choice for CTP systems. Since then, thermal has grown even more quickly than the overall CTP market. Thermal plates now command more than two-thirds of the total digital plate market," said Eyal Shpilberg, corporate vice president, Thermal Consumables, Creo. "We recognized that thermal technology provided superior process control and repeatability while reducing costs, compared to other imaging technologies. Processless technology, such as the Clarus PL plate by Creo, continues to reduce costs and eliminate steps associated with prepress. This allows any size of printer to benefit from the advantages of thermal CTP." Creo Plate Portfolio Expands... Other Creo digital plates include the Creo Positive Thermal Plate (PTP), ideal for commercial printers; the Mirus(tm) PN, a negative-working thermal plate ideal for commercial and packaging printers; and the Fortis(tm) PN, a negative-working thermal plate for newspaper, book and insert printers. Creo also produces three conventional analog plates. Creo CTP Equipped for Processless Plates... The Creo Trendsetter 800 II Quantum, Trendsetter 400 II Quantum, and now the new Lotem(r) 400 CTP devices are all capable of imaging ablative media with the Creo Processless option. More information about the plates is available at www.creo.com/plates and www.creo.com/ClarusWL.