The company’s centrepiece, the B2 75DI press, is now the only direct imaging press commercially available. While the raft of digital inkjet B2 presses at the show are effectively DI, inkjet does not yet have the quality or speed of offset. Presstek is using this press to demonstrate a new colour calibration and defect detection technology that inspects each sheet with the press operating at full speed and makes any necessary adjustments on the fly.
The five-colour Presstek 75DI digital offset press with in-line aqueous coater, first shown at IPEX 2010 as a prototype, goes from digital file to sellable sheet in six minutes and prints at 16,000 impressions per hour. It is the most economical press on the market for colour jobs with run lengths between 500 and 20,000 impressions, which encompasses the majority of print jobs being run today around the world.
Available in four to 10-colour configurations, the press offers an in-line aqueous coater and a range of productivity enhancing options. It features automated support for 300lpi, FM screening, a maximum sheet size of 788 mm x 600 mm, a minimum sheet size of 279 mm x 200 mm, and can print on a broad array of stocks ranging from 0.04mm to 0.8mm thick.
Presstek says its new plate’s on press performance will raise the efficiency of prepress departments by eliminating the time-consuming steps, variables, and costs that are associated with production of other waterless plates. Once imaged, only a simple cleaning with water is required prior to mounting the plates on press.
The company offers three thermal digital plates. The PhD 830 is a negative working ablation-free pre-heat thermal plate supporting run lengths of 250,000 without baking and a million plus with an optional post-bake. Presstek says the PhD 830 requires less chemistry, less power, has a wider pre-heat latitude than competitive plate products and has high resistance to pressroom chemicals and on-press abrasion.
The Aeon is a positive-working, high resolution, no-preheat thermal CTP plate that offers run lengths up to 200,000 without baking; an optional post-bake enables runs of up to one million. The company says Aeon has a strong resistance to UV inks and solvents and can be used in both UV and conventional printing without any sacrifice in productivity or quality.
The Aurora EXP is chemistry-free daylight-safe metal plate that can be imaged on a range of thermal plate setters. Rated up to 50,000 impressions, chemistry-free process requires only a water wash after imaging with no need for chemistry before mounting on press, according to Presstek.
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