Fujifilm Graphics Systems UK director Keith Dalton said violet photopolymer plates had the lowest total cost of ownership regardless of the size of the company, plate volume or type of work.

He added that the cost of machine and laser maintenance for violet diode was 1 per m2, which was way below thermal. Dalton added that the advantages of violet diode over thermal would grow in the future.

"We've come to a fork in the road," he said. "Violet diode development is driven by the data industry for data storage. Millions is being spent on development."

Esko-Graphics backed up his views. "Photopolymer is our focus for metal because of the low cost of ownership," said president and chief executive Kim Graven-Nielsen.

"It's nice to see how many people talk about thermal as a past technology and violet for the future."

VLF is the one market where thermal retains total dominance, although both firms suggested this may not be the case forever.

Dalton said he thought "a lot of guys would move" if a VLF violet machine were to become available.

Graven-Nielsen said his company would consider a machine for the future and was watching the market develop as early VLFs come up for renewal.

"If we launch a product it will be based on a mix of research and development, and business sense," he commented. "There is definitely no limitation of the technology itself."

Story by Barney Cox