Johnston Press is the latest newspaper group to embark upon the route to computer-to-plate, and will begin evaluating systems from Agfa and Kodak Polychrome Graphics later this year.


Johnston will install an Agfa Polaris system at its Peterborough web plant in August. The decision on where to site the KPG Newsetter thermal system is being taken this week, with Johnstons Northampton plant the likely recipient.


Both Agfa and KPG showed their respective systems at this weeks Newstec show. With 300 Polaris installations across Europe, Agfa is claiming 90% of the newspaper CTP market. Director Laurence Roberts said that in the UK, where there are currently 12 installations, CTP was "accelerating, but not as fast as you might think the risk is greater for these guys. In my view we will put 15-20 Polarises in the UK this year, but we will do more in 2002."


KPG has 35 Newsetter installations worldwide, and the TH180 shown at Newstec can now produce 180 plates per hour. "Thermal is more or less accepted in newspapers now," stated european business manager Rinus Hoebeke. "Customers are seeing faster start-up on press, and no dot shifts which you see with polymer plates in the starting phase. Theres less downtime at the front-end too one of our customers is producing 10,000 plates per processor bath cycle."


* Agfa announced a new version of its IntelliNet newspaper workflow system at the show.


Story by Jo Francis