Jürgen Rautert, management board member for engineering and manufacturing at Heidelberg, said the Suprasetter series set the standard for thermal platesetters.

"It offers an excellent price-performance ratio, and the A-series models in particular enable smaller print shops to get a foothold on the CTP market," Rautert said.

"The fact that well in excess of 1,500 systems have been sold so far underscores the success of this series. We have thoroughly revised the series in the run-up to Drupa 2008 and equipped the models with the latest technology to deliver additional customer benefits."

Among the changes, the print manufacturer has increased the power of its laser diodes by about 60%, which enables a much higher plate throughput per hour and shortens the imaging time for individual plate sets.

Suprasetter models 74 and 105 are now available in three and four speed levels, respectively. After Drupa, they will increase to four and five levels with a maximum throughput of 38 plates an hour.

The platesetters run chemical-free or processless printing plates, such as Heidelberg's Saphira Chemfree plate, which can be imaged about 35% more quickly. The manufacturer has also approved about 40 other plates for use in the Suprasetters.

Further changes include a choice of laser heads with resolutions of either 2,540dpi or 2,400dpi, and the availability of press-specific punches for all Suprasetter models.

Heidelberg has also equipped all Suprasetter loaders with a suction system to counter the effect of climatic conditions that can make it difficult to remove the slip-sheet from the printing plate.

The introduction of web-based Remote Services, which can give pre-emptive warning of any faults or maintenance requirements, has lessened the need for site visits, making Suprasetter models more widely available.