Offering a throughput of up to 84 B1 or 8-up plates per hour, it follows the T-speed, which Kodak claimed was then the world’s fastest 8-up CTP system when it was introduced around two years ago.

The introduction of the T-speed Plus means the Q800 can now output a plate every 42.9 seconds, marking Kodak’s third speed upgrade for the Q800 in four years, with a more than 40% speed improvement over the former Z-Speed from 2018.

The Q800 can also image Kodak Sonora Xtra process-free plates at its new top speed.

Kodak said the upgraded CTP device would help sheetfed and web offset printers to further maximise the productivity of their offset workflows.

All automation options available for the Q800, including the Single-Pallet Loader (SPL), Multi-Pallet Loader (MPL), and Multi-Cassette Unit (MCU), support the new speed.

The MPL can hold up to 3,200 plates in up to four different plate sizes – two pallets of 1,500 plates each and two cassettes of 100 plates each.

Also recently implemented is a 40% increase in the capacity of the slip sheet removal system for the SPL and MPL, which Kodak said is helpful for long operating times without manual intervention.

“We are excited that we have been able to make the world’s fastest CTP system even faster,” said Jeff Zellmer, vice president of global sales and strategy at Kodak.

“This is further evidence that Kodak continues to bring solutions to market that enable our customers in the printing industry [to] become more competitive and profitable through greater efficiency and productivity.”

The Q800 with T-speed Plus is now available worldwide. Q800 platesetters already installed at customer sites can be upgraded to the new top speed on site.