Heidelberg product manager for Prinect workflow and CTP Guy Elliott says: “We wanted to be a neutral party when it came to our customers’ pre-press choices, and with the introduction of the Prosetter series we could let them decide between thermal and visible-light.” At first, the Prosetter was fairly easy to sell as a completely new device to Heidelberg customers.
“In the UK market, there is an 85% sway towards thermal but, in markets such as the US, up to 90% of printers choose visible-light platesetters over thermal,” explains Elliott. “However, there is still a market [for visible-light] in the UK, especially in the newspaper sector where speed is important. I believe that the quality gap between thermal and visible light is also shrinking.” Despite this, year on year, Heidelberg still only sells around 10 to 12 Prosetter units.
The Prosetter was launched at the end of 2001 with three format capabilities: the P102 for the B1 market and the P74 and P52 for the B2 and B3 markets respectively. The P52 was designed to have the same footprint as the P74, except with format restrictions. As a result, rather than having to invest in a whole new machine, printers could get away with upgrading the 52 version to a 74 with only a few alterations.
Hot plates
One of the features included in the platesetter that allowed improved registration conditions was its temperature compensation. This enabled a plate to be imaged or re-imaged without the aluminium expanding, so that it didn’t matter what time of day the plate was put into the machine. The Prosetter 74 could run at speeds of up to 16 plates per hour (pph) at 2,540dpi. There is also an F version of the Prosetter, launched at the same time, which could work at 24pph on 74 models.
With the 74, the printing plate is aligned in a half-shell and held in place by a vacuum as it is imaged. The laser spot is then guided with a rotating prism and precision is assured by the frictionless air bearing. A single-cassette loader can be fitted, which allows up to 150 plates to be held online and includes slipsheet removal. A multi-cassette loader can also be added, holding up to four cassettes – each able to hold 150 plates for up to four different size presses. Although harder to sell secondhand with the price of new thermal equipment so low, the Prosetter is a very popular choice overseas in emerging CTP markets such as India, where printers want maximum output for minimum cost.
All new Prosetters are sold with a six-month parts and labour warranty, which can be upgraded to a plus warranty extending to a year either at the point of sale or within the initial warranty period. A 74 can be bought at around £63,000 and the F version costs around £76,000. Secondhand models are available from around £20,000.
Pre-Press Direction is one dealer that stocks 74 Prosetters and its owner, Mike Spellacy, recommends the machines for their high specifications and strong support. “Unfortunately, they are not very popular in the UK secondhand, but I do have two people on a waiting list right now for them overseas.”
Spellacy estimates that around four or five come on the market each year, mainly from those upgrading to B1 versions. He recommends asking an engineer to look at the laser life of the machine and also checking whether it has its original or renewed laser and laser heads. It is also advisable to check the service history of the kit.
SPECIFICATIONS
Min plate format
• 370x323mm
Max plate format
• 670x750mm
Max imaging area
• 645x750mm
Plate thickness
• 0.15 to 0.30mm
Resolution
• 2,032-3,386dpi
Speed
• 74: 16pph
• P74: 20pph
• F74: 24pph
Price
• New 74: from £63,000
• New F74: from £76,000
• Used 2001 74 from £20,000
What to look for
• Service record
• Warranty
• Laser life
