The B2 machine with a TIFF interface will cost 65,000. Beta installations are expected to take place in Q4, with the commercial release to follow in Q1 2005.

"We believe that CTCP is actually going to be the new frontier for CTP," said Esko-Graphics president and CEO Kim Graven-Nielsen.

The 4pp unit is capable of imaging 13 regular or 20 high sensitivity plates per hour, was shown in operation on the Esko-Graphics stand at Drupa.

The platesetter is based on the well-established EskoScan technology. "We have taken the precision XY scanning mechanism, with some modifications, and built that as the mechanical bed for Expresso." said senior vice-president of marketing Ren Delbar. "We know from our hi-res copydot scanning history that this is a very reliable, accurate and geometrically consistent design."

Expresso will come with a direct TIFF interface so that it can be used with the users existing RIP, but can also be supplied with EG's FlowDrive 4 workflow. The manual platesetter is operated in much the same way as a contact frame: Open the lid then place the plate against three registration pins, there's immediate feedback with three LEDs to confirm that you've placed the plate correctly, then close the lid and expose.

Imaging is carried out by continuous XY scanning with a standard video projection lamp and a Texas Instruments DMD (Digital Mirror Device), but with different control electronics. "One of the advantages of working in a continuous sweep is that we multiple partial exposures of every spot, which gives us great reliability," said Delbar. The imaging head actually floats on a bed of air to give the highest precision.

Other launches included a new sibling in the PlateDriver CTP family, the 4pp PlateDriver Compact. New and enhanced software components for the Scope JDF-enabled workflow environment were also announced, as were a series of enhancements for the Cyrel Digital Imager flexo platesetters, including a compact sleeve option.

Story by Darryl Danielli at Drupa