Our Press team would love to go back to a grained plate (more grain than current plate). Here's our brief profile: medium to high quality (I know, that's subjective) sheetfed printer. The two main process color presses are a SpeedMaster 74 and a Shinohara 74VP. In addition are two perfecting Heidelburg MO, a Sakurai perfector 20 x 23, two GTOs, two QuickMasters. Press is considering replacing the Speed 74 with another 6-up press. In our peak summer season, we are imaging 250 - 300 metal plates per day. Annually: 36,000 metal plates and 23,000 poly plates. For six years now, prepress has been running two Presstek Dimension 400s and supplying press with the Presstek Anthem Pro plate and, just recently, the Presstek Aurora plate running on the Shin 74. An Esko (Purup) ImageMaker B2 images the poly plates for the SAK and the MOs.
Metal plates: After brief testing, Press does not care for the Kodak Direct or the Fuji processless plates. As a result, Fuji is leaning heavily on press to consider the "chemistry dependent" PJ plate. Prepress views that as a step backward since we are already in an ablative imaging/water wash-only process. We are planning very soon to run and test the Agfa Azura for at least a month. (Prepress runs a Nexus/Odystar RIP workflow front end). Any advice or suggestions on platesetter/plate direction that would make press and prepress happy?
Thanks - Brian
Prepress manager

Hi bgivens,

Welcome to the prepress forums. Yes, the PJ is king IMO and we have been on it for about 12 to 18 months. We threw out Kodak which was not nearly as good. It's a tough sharp plate and is the best price/performance thermal CTP plate.

As far as the push to be green. This Fuji LH-PJ can be configured with a newer processor which is Process LE$$. It uses about 20% of the chemistry it used to take with our older processor. And that was about 1/2 of the chemistry it took for a Kodak plate. So, you get a huge reduction in chemistry cost and use, plus you get the stability of haveng a far better plate than what you are looking at. Banta reports 1 million impressions regularly with a no-bake Fuji LH-PJ. It's a really good plate.

I run it on a Fuji javelin which is same as a DS Screen PlateRite. We upgraded that from a Creo Trendsetter. You will need an PlateRite 8800z in order to get the plate count you need there. HTH
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JoePostscript -- support administrator

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Anyone out there using the Azura Plate? (Seems like I saw a thread on this once).
Anyone using an Agfa Avalon?
Anyone using any kind of Heidelberg platesetting equipment?
brian

Two Questions for JoePostscript:
1. Have you worked with or tested Agfa's Azura plate?
2. Do you recall the thread where you offered advice on getting dealers on the same playing field by bidding on plate pricing per square foot? I read that last week and searched for it today, but I'm not coming up with it.

Thanks

Hi

I can give details of Avalon, Does anyone want info of Agfa Avalon

Yes, I'll take any user feedback on the Avalon.
brian

I can give details of Avalon, Does anyone want info of Agfa Avalon

Has the Fuji LH-PJ plate (proccess-less) been tested with uv inks I would be interested to hear any results.

Hello,

Below are links top some posts about plate pricing and costs. I do lay out a methodology of how I lower my costs with metal plates, as to what I actually pay, I am on a non-disclosure as part of getting my costs to where they are. Read into that what you think it means.

Let me re-itterate about the LH-PJ in case anybody is reading just by skimming along. Process Le$$ is what I am saying, is not process free or no process. What it is is a very advanced digitally controlled Fuji processor that is so optimized that it cuts chemistry use dramatically . That means cost, and benefit to the environment [i] without sacrifice to run length, print quality, or higher cost of plates.

To me, it's the ideal solution. It's like having a V-8 with the economy of a motorcycle, really. Consider that example. A V-8 get you 10mpg. A motorcycle 60mpg. That's 6x efficiency of gasoline used. I am saying that is very close to what you get with LH-PJ and the newest processor like I have.

But, you get all the quality and durability of LH-PJ, not some inferior new plate that has all kinds of draw backs and isn't as good.

UV, yes, we run UV 6 color 40" no problems at all. We run heatset web, halm jet env. press, ryobi duplicators, you name it. It's a great plate.


Prepress Forum, Kodak Sword ii Excel Plates, Computer to Plate CTP
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If Fuji meets or beats that price per square foot, I'm going Fuji for sure. -- Fuji will compete on price if you buy enough plates a year..


Prepress Forum, CTP Computer to Plate pricing of Metal plates
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I break it all down to a per sq. ft price. How many square feet a month, -- Do your plate negotiating by the square foot. Now you are speaking their..


Prepress Forum, Kodak User looking for options, plate cost of Sword
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The plate metal is prety comprable price wise but Kodak uses chemistry to gouge customers because it's -- Figure out a years plate usage by square foot..
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JoePostscript -- support administrator

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Wind Turbine Buyer's Guide


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thanks for the info
do you know if those plates are compatible with a trendsetter spectrum?

If you are asking about Fuji LH-PJ, I THINK they are. The Creo trendsetter Spectrum has a different head I think, than a regular quantum?? NOT SURE. I do know that it's compatible to a Creo trendsetter Quantum w/40 watt head, that's what I have here as a backup device. I ran only on that Trendsetter till about January when my Fuji javelin 8600s was installed.

If you are asking about Agfa plates, I don't know, that will be question for another poster.
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JoePostscript -- support administrator

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Wind Turbine Buyer's Guide


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