Historically, Presstek's plate technology has only been compatible with its own platesetters, however, when it launched the Aurora Pro, the company decided to break with its proprietary past and move to an open format.

Following its launch in 2008, Presstek said the Aurora Pro would work with both Screen and Kodak platesetters and that its aim was to qualify the plate for every available CTP device.

Nick Livemore, director at Essex-based DXP, said: "We were interested when Presstek told us that they were launching a new chemistry-free plate for third-party thermal CTP users.

"Price is always an issue and we wanted to determine whether we could save money while at the same time improving our productivity and maintaining our quality. Aurora Pro plates have met all of those objectives."

The company, which specialises in marketing and point-of-sale print, images around 1,400 plates a month on its Kodak Trendsetter.