For Sprinta, its primary need was a reliable transition to CTP – at a low cost of ownership and operation. When David Peck, AT&M managing director, signed the deal with The Currie Group, he was told to keep his film equipment online, but was able to take the full step into CTP faster than anticipated.

Peck says the fully-automated Makomatic 4 easily meets the needs of the pressroom. “Metal plates are loaded in yellow-safelight conditions. And automatic cassette switching (with an optional second cassette) means we can quickly and easily change jobs between A3 and A2 plates, which suits the needs of our clients for a diverse and time-sensitive mix of work.”

From a logistical perspective, the arrival of the Makomatic has meant “no more arriving at work after the night shift to find rolls of film everywhere,” says Peck. “Instead, you arrive to find neatly sorted plates, ready for press.”

Service and set-up through Bilton Graphics, The Currie Group agency in Tasmania, was second to none, says Peck, and maintenance calls have been few and far between, “which is important if you’re based on an island”.

At the operator end, it is simplicity itself, says Peck, and is regarded by our design studio staff as “just another output device available at the press of a button”.

Meanwhile, at the business end, the Makomatic 4 offers seven resolutions up to 3556dpi and a maximum line-screen of 200lpi, so it generates higher quality images than film, with sharper dots producing more vibrant on-press images.

Peck says a long-term goal will be full automation of the workflow with Job Definition Format. “The aspect of this industry I like the most is its constant change. It’s exciting and challenging and every day brings new technological and business developments.

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