End product profile

-- Converting Magazine, 3/1/2001

According to Presstek lore, the mission of the company is to, in the words of its founder, "make the printing press a computer peripheral." Presstek has developed the world's first thermal ablation digital printing technology. Using high-powered semiconductor laser diodes to create images without chemical processing, Presstek's patented PEARLr, ProFireT, and DIr technologies are now used in a variety of on-press and off-press products.

For instance, Heidelberg's Quickmaster DI press-voted 1999's Product of the Year by the National Quickprinter's Association-is enabled by patented Presstek imaging technology, components and plates. The system accepts digital data directly for color printing in offset quality, and is used extensively by quick-print shops hoping to take advantage of the strong market for four-color printed matter in runs of 200 copies and more.

The four spools of PEARLdry plus polyester-based plate material shown are used on the Quickmaster DI. Each spool contains 35 plates. In the background is an imaged plate.