Presstek Vector halves PNC's plate-making times

The installation of a Presstek Vector 52cm platemaker with the Freedom Pro plates has enabled PNC Print and Design to halve the time it takes to make metal plates.

Roger Tash, managing director at PNC Print and Design, explained: 'The equipment was coming to the end of its life and would cost serious money to repair.

'We were using four separate processes and two lots of developing chemicals to make a plate.

'Time had moved on and we needed a state-of-the-art computer-to-plate system.

'The Vector two-page platesetter gave us the opportunity to promote ourselves as an environmentally friendly printer.

'It's a route that we have already been pursuing, starting with the change to fount and alcohol substitutes on our presses.

'As well as eliminating the cost of buying and disposing of the chemicals, we are optimistic that it will help to grow our business.

Before placing the order, Tash, together with Andrew Carter, the company's production director, went to Presstek's showroom to see the plates being made.

Tash said that the Vector is easy to use.

The Freedom Pro plate is inserted at the front, imaged and water-washed inside the unit before being discharged as a completed plate.

He added: 'We took the plates back and ran them successfully on our presses with minimal adjustment.

'The results were so good that we confirmed our order.

Carter added: 'Presstek set up the parameters and calibrated the platemaker to the press and applied industry-standard colour management to the overall system.

'The company gave us training over four days and now six people can operate it, giving us operator cover at all times.

'It is very simple to maintain.

'We fill the washer unit with tap water and clean it once a week.

He said that the Vector platemaker is a compact unit and, having disposed of all the conventional platemaking equipment, the Vector's installation freed a lot of space on PNC Print and Design's mezzanine floor.

As far as the company is concerned, it makes commercial sense to produce a first-generation set of plates from the Vector, which is cleaner than re-running conventional plates for a repeat job.

Carter said: 'When I consider the time and the chemistry we used to make a conventional plate, it is much more economic to image a plate on the Vector.

'Presstek guarantees the Freedom Pro plate for 25,000 impressions, but we have recently printed a 40,000 run using the same set of plates and disposed of them by recycling.

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