NEXPO 2004, Washington, D.C. (June 18, 2004) – Creo Inc. is showcasing new prepress solutions at NEXPO 2004, North America’s annual newspaper printers trade show. Choice of Plates for Trendsetter NEWS Creo is imaging the new Creo Fortis PN plates with the Trendsetter NEWS 200 computer-to-plate (CTP) device. The Fortis PN is a negative-working thermal plate for newspaper, book and insert printers. This plate is robust on press and off, with excellent resistance to chemicals, wear and scratching. It is Staccato 36 qualified at 1200 dpi, has high exposure sensitivity, and excellent water take-up on web presses. Trendsetter NEWS CTP devices will also image the Anocoil digital thermal plate at booth #3138, and the Southern Lithoplate digital thermal plate, at booth #3231. In a technology demonstration, Creo will image the Creo-developed processless thermal plate, based on switchable polymer, using the new semi-automatic Trendsetter NEWS CTP device. The processless plate requires no gumming, processing or post-imaging treatment. Processless plates deliver substantial benefits to printers including reduced capital requirements, lower maintenance costs, and faster turnaround times. Today’s processless plates require the high-powered imaging available only with thermal CTP devices. Processless plates increase the environmental benefits of computer-to-plate imaging as no chemicals are required for processing. Commercialization plans for the Creo processless plate will be announced at a later date. Launching Synapse NewsManager Prepress Workflow The Synapse NewsManager workflow is being shown for the first time in North America. This powerful new distributed workflow management tool will help newspaper printers automate processes, improve productivity, and monitor production progress. Synapse NewsManager enables a flexible and automated workflow from edition plan to plate production. It includes the Edition Planner, which defines the attributes of upcoming publications; the Database Manager, which reads edition plans, maintains workflow definitions and tracks and load balances all processing activity; and the Production Monitor, which allows operators and management to quickly visualize the overall status of the publication. The Synapse NewsManager workflow is based on open file standards and integrates easily into newspaper printers’ existing systems. Synapse NewsManager is scalable to meet the needs of any size printer, from contract printers to metropolitan, national and international dailies with multiple print sites. Imposition, Screening, Platesetting Control The new Prinergy Evo PDF processing solution effectively complements the Synapse NewsManager workflow. Prinergy Evo delivers proven PDF processing power with outstanding ease of use. It is highly automated and easy to maintain, further streamlining newspaper workflow processes, while contributing to a low overall cost of ownership. Russia's largest daily newspaper, Komsomolskaya Pravda (daily circulation 1 million), chose the Prinergy Evo solution for 22 new printing centers throughout Russia. Each center will also install Trendsetter NEWS platesetters, and image Creo Fortis PN thermal plates. Prinergy Evo also enables the use of Staccato screening for the resolution of fine image detail, elimination of halftone rosettes and moiré, and improved color and tone stability on press. Combined with the use of SQUAREspot thermal imaging heads, Staccato screening delivers unrivaled consistency and output quality. Newspaper Printers Discover Staccato Immediately after installing the Trendsetter NEWS 50 CTP device, The NewsTribune of La Salle, IL used Staccato screening on the front page of the sport section, and printed the balance of the paper with AM screening. “The photographers noticed it right away,” said Joe Zokal, prepress manager. “They asked me: 'Why does the sports section look so much better than the rest of the paper?' The pictures were sharper, the colors more vibrant, brighter, and the contrast increased. You can see things you couldn't see before.” Mr. Zokal is looking forward to having the company's press profiled by Creo's team with Staccato Startup Assistance. "We're looking forward to going to the next level — improved color, print quality and ink savings." Improved print quality, with better consistency and greater process efficiency are why more newspaper printers around the world are now implementing Staccato screening. Newspaper samples printed by Creo customers show increased image detail, diminishes the effect of misregistration, and eliminates the effects of subject and screening moiré. These samples are available for viewing at the Staccato Showcase on the Creo booth at NEXPO. Trendsetter NEWS in Demand Trendsetter NEWS CTP installations have doubled since the last NEXPO — from 50 installations, to more than 100 Trendsetter NEWS devices since then, for a total of over 150 installations in the Americas. Newspaper dailies, weeklies, and those publishing commercial inserts are choosing thermal CTP from Creo for efficiency, reliability and consistency. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, a Knight Ridder newspaper, recently chose the Trendsetter NEWS 150 and after excellent experience, ordered two additional devices. In addition to printing the daily paper, the Star-Telegram’s pressroom prints weekly newspapers, commercial and preprint jobs, including the Mansfield News-Mirror, the Alliance newspaper group, and the Fort Worth Gazette. Mark Blancas, the company’s director of press operations, said that thermal CTP is “a lot simpler. There are no negatives to mess with. You send a file, and the machine does its work. It’s been trouble free; really, the Creo machine has performed flawlessly.” New semi-automatic configurations of the Trendsetter NEWS CTP device are now available for easy transitions to CTP. Trendsetter NEWS models range from semi-automatic through advanced features and automation, with speeds ranging from 50 to over 200 plates per hour. See the complete Creo newspaper prepress solution at NEXPO 2004 at the Creo booth #3339, June 19-22, 2004.