Prepress
X-Rite Introduces Enhanced Line of Plate Control Solutions
Friday 14. March 2008 - Offers the industrys highest level of accuracy; new firmware and software improvements support latest screening and plate technologies and FOGRA Measuring Bar standard
X-Rite, Incorporated, (NASDAQ:XRIT) a global leader in color technology, today announced its new, enhanced line of plate control solutions designed to meet the wide ranging needs and budgets of pre-press and printing professionals. Designed to improve on-press productivity, and drastically reduce down-time costs and production waste, X-Rites plate control solutions offer the industrys highest level of accuracy, repeatability, and imaging range, including extreme highlights and shadows. Featuring new firmware and software that support the latest screening and plate technologies and the FOGRA FMB measuring bar standard, X-Rites new plate control portfolio includes:
· iCPlate2: offers a high level of plate reading accuracy for standard plate reading applications. Featuring a high camera resolution, automatic calibration and a very long battery life, X-Rites iCPlate2 is available in two configurations: iCPlate2 X, which is most suited to customers who only troubleshoot their plates occasionally but who need a highly accurate device to help them easily diagnose problems; and iCPlate2 XT, which is ideal for customers who regularly check plates but dont necessarily print to a control or to an industry standard. iCPlate2 supports current screening technologies including AM, FM, hybrid and concentric screening.
· PlateScope: this new version of PlateScope (version 6.1) offers unsurpassed accuracy and repeatability for the latest plate screening technologies. It supports all current screening technologies including AM, FM, XM and hybrid screen types. PlateScope is ideal for customers who are disciplined about process control, printing to standards such as SWOP, Gracol (G7), FOGRA or ISO, or who are coordinating output between multiple CTP devices.
“Our plate control solutions are designed to give printers the confidence of knowing their plates are right the first time, every time,” comments Chris LaFontaine, X-Rites worldwide market manager for print. “When you consider the time and expense involved with running todays press operations, and the tight profit margins printers operate under, having control over plate quality, and being able to trouble shoot problems quickly and accurately can make the difference between making or losing money on a job.”
Using cutting-edge plate reading advances, X-Rites plate control solutions support the latest plate and screening technologies, including process-less, low latency plates (i.e. Fujifilm Pro-T) as well as standard offset plates.
X-Rites plate control solutions are equipped with high resolution black and white cameras, to ensure that the edges of dots are accurately detected and reliably measured, even when dealing with extreme highlights and shadows, the areas of most concern in the print process.
X-Rite plate control devices provide language-independent operation with an easy to use, icon-based graphical user interface (GUI), and clear visual readings of plate characteristics via a large LCD display. Each model comes complete with a handheld plate reader, a calibration target, and Capture Tool software to transfer measurement data to any Windows application. All of X-Rites plate reader devices are designed for both right- and left-handed operation.
In addition, the new line of plate control solutions features X-Rites PlateQuality software, to provide consistent plate quality that is verifiable, allowing users to measure and keep track of their goals and progress over time. PlateQuality is available as a standard feature of PlateScope and as an option for iCPlate2.
X-Rites iCPlate2 and PlateScope plate control solutions are available immediately from X-Rite and its extensive global network of authorized re-sellers. Existing iCPlate II customers (Basic or Advanced) wishing to upgrade to the new iCPlate2 (X or XT) functionality, can purchase an upgrade from X-Rite. All existing PlateScope customers can update their devices to the latest version for free.