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Glunz & Jensen is no minnow in the pre-press market: its partners include Agfa, Fuji, Kodak and Heidelberg. But the manufacturer, best-known for its CTP and film processors, has set its sights on a new market and one, it believes, is crying out for low-cost chemistry-free platemaking options.

Launched at the end of last year, the PlateWriter 2000 centres around inkjet computer-to-plate (iCTP) technology. The device is aimed squarely at the B3 market, designed to be easy to use, and is now available in the UK through distributor Info-Tec.

“We are targeting small printers with secondhand image­setters,” explains Glunz & Jensen iCTP business unit director Mark Baker-Homes. “It’s for companies that can’t afford to upgrade and want a device that can help them go green. This machine has no chemistry and no processing – it means print­ers aren’t faced with disposing chemicals which is expensive.”

Glunz & Jensen reckon the PlateWriter 2000 gives a “simple, no fuss approach to imaging directly onto plates”. Baker-Homes goes further and says that the simplicity of the device should give operators “no fear” when using it. Ideally it targets the type of printer that has a small-format litho press.

Baker-Homes reckons there are plenty of print firms that fit the bill in the UK. “They are not going to bin their B3 offset press in favour of digital,” he says. “And that kind of market is not going to change in the next five years or so. We are filling a void in this sector with this machine.”

User friendly
He adds that the machine is straightforward to operate – it’s pitched as a machine that can be operated by printers and, if need be, graphic designers alike. “The PlateWriter 2000 is not rocket science,” says Baker-Homes.

Simplicity is the main selling point, according to the manufacturer. The iCTP system allows a blank metal plate to be imaged using an inkjet head. This contrasts with traditional laser-based CTP, which exposes an image on to pre-sensitized plates and removes the non-image areas with processors and chemistry.

“We don’t cover the plates with something that you have to remove,” says Baker-Homes. “We put the coating in the inkjet head. The head then jets on to the plate and only the areas that you need printed.”

An operator takes a blank plate and slides it into the back of the device. Optical sensors register the plate and it is then imaged using the inkjet head. The head, manufactured by Epson, has eight channels, but as the printing of the plate obviously has no need for full colour, only two channels are used to speed up the process. Plates are good for around 25,000 impressions and for a full B3 plate, imaging takes around eight minutes.

The plate then moves into a finishing unit located underneath the print engine. It finishes the plate by drying and bonding the liquid dots to the plate surface. The finishing unit also incorporates a built-in gumming station to apply a protective gum layer.

Low maintenance
In terms of maintenance, Baker-Homes says that the PlateWriter 2000 is very straightforward to look after. “There is no need for tools,” he adds. “Everything can be replaced very easily. It’s not at all messy and there’s not even a need to wear gloves. It is a machine you can approach with no fear – you can easily understand what is going on.”

For example, to clean out the gumming system, you simply replace the gum bottle with a bottle of warm water. This pumps water onto the rollers and ensures the unit will run efficiently.

The PlateWriter 2000 is a two-up machine but can be upgraded to four-up. “The machine is modular,” says Baker-Homes. “The finishing unit is designed for four-up and all that would need to be changed is the imaging unit.”

The finishing and imaging units operate independently of each other: it means that while one plate is being dried, another can be imaged.

Baker-Homes admits that the 2000 has come about largely because of improvements in inkjet technology over the past 18 months. For example, the Epson heads it uses were launched in September and the Japanese manufacturer is investing millions in the technology.

“We are harnessing their technology,” he adds. “We first saw this at Drupa 2004, but the quality wasn’t quite high enough at that point. But now we are using technology that is only a few months old.”

Quality clearly isn’t a problem as the printheads are the same ones used in Epson’s proofing products, and by linking up with the Japanese manufacturer, Glunz & Jensen has been able to bypass the heavy research and development costs.

Baker-Homes adds: “Our strategy has always been to leverage the R&D of inkjet manufacturers in terms of resolution accuracy, cost and speed. This keeps our R&D costs down and delivers platemaking at mass market pricing.”

For a fully installed PlateWriter 2000, Info-Tec charges £10,995. The distributor is keen to gain early adopters,and those that do take up the machine will start making money quickly, according to Baker-Homes. Not only do they save money on chemicals, but they also don’t need darkrooms, film, special lighting conditions, processors and processing.

It also represents a shifting market. “With the industry moving away from chemical processing and looking to go chemistry- or processor-free, the need for our processors is likely to decline,” says Baker-Homes. “It was only natural that Glunz & Jensen would look to its huge market experience to open up new opportunities.”

He adds that iCTP is one of those opportunities and going for the B3 market doesn’t tread on anyone’s toes. “We do not challenge our existing customers’ markets with their high-end platesetters aimed at four- and eight-up presses.”

And with a host of big-name partners such as Agfa, Fuji, Heidelberg and Creo, it’s a wise strategy and allows Glunz & Jensen to carry on its well-established name in the high-end of the market. But by spotting what it believes to be a gap in entry-level machines, the manufacturer can also take advantage of a sector that is demanding more environmentally friendly products.

On top of that, Glunz & Jensen reckons it has caught the inkjet technology at the right time. Developments in inkjet are moving at a fair old pace and the manufacturer reckons that it has opted for the best and most cost effective technology to target the small printer.

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SPECIFICATIONS
Max imaging area 432x610mm
Max plate size 459x610mm
Resolution range 2,880dpi
RIP Harlequin
Price £10,995
Contact Info-Tec Distribution 01202 845 960 www.info-tec.biz

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THE ALTERNATIVES
Xanté PlateMaker 5
Another platemaking device distributed by Info-Tec is the Xante PlateMaker 5. The chemistry-free machine is a polyester platesetter and eliminates processing. It also incorporates Z-7 technology allowing for “clean plates, crisp film, sharp images and exact halftones”. The system is accompanied by the Myriad 2 plate made by Agfa.
Max imaging area 324x890mm
Max plate size 340x900m
Resolution range 2,400x2,400dpi
RIP Adobe PostScript III
Price £4,999-£5,999
Contact: Info-Tec Distribution, 01202 845 960 www.info-tec.biz

HighWater Cobra
The Cobra is targeted at the B3, two-up commercial print market. According to HighWater Designs, it exposes violet metal plates at high resolution using “high precision internal drum imaging optics and a 60mw laser”. It is capable of producing up to 30 plates an hour, which takes into account loading and unloading time. It can also be connected to any suitable Windows PC RIP that can output 1-bit TIFF bitmaps.
Max imaging area 550x612mm
Max plate size 550x627mm
Resolution range 2,540dpi
RIP Torrent
Price £25,000
Contact HighWater Designs, 01242 542100 www.highwater.co.uk

ECRM Mako 2
This platesetter can accommodate all two-up presses and some four-up machines. It claims to be one of the fastest 2pp CTP units in its class with the ability to image over 27 GTO plates per hour at 2,400dpi. The Mako 2 incorporates the CtServer and has open ended software accepting 1-bit TIFF files. It also boasts low energy consumption, drawing the same energy as a PC.
Max imaging area 560x670mm
Max plate size 560x670mm
Resolution range 1,200-3,556dpi
RIP ECRM RipMate (Harlequin)
Price £28, 500
Contact ECRM Imaging Systems, 01923 218 255 www.ecrm.com