Dobruška / The company Presstek, represented in the Czech Republic by Grafitec, continues the constant development of its CTP equipment. The novelty presented at the Drupa exhibition was the Profire II Excel laser head.

In comparison to the previous Profire II laser head used in the models Dimension 200, 400 and 800, it has a more compact and lighter construction, with easy maintenance, and in particularly a smaller laser point or "spot". The diameter of the spot has been reduced from 25 to 15 micrometers. The result of this, at first site minor modification is the possibility of shining the print raster to a lineature of 300 lpi and the use of FM and FAM rastering.

All new CTP Dimension have been equipped with the Profire II Excel head since the New Year. The models are as follows:

• Dimension 225 Excel: replacing Dimension 200 (SRB3 size), productivity 11 plates/hour Possible to upgrade to Dimension 425 Excel.
• Dimension 425 Excel: replacing Dimension 400 (SRB2 size), a greater max. plate format of 640×768 instead of 604×750mm. Productivity 11 plates/hour.
• Dimension 250 Excel: a highly productive SRB3 format model with a bin for a further plate. It unloads in the direction toward the back and can be equipped with a bridge for an automatic rinser (for Anthem plates) or plate stacker (for Applause plates). It can be later expanded to include a system of automatic plate loading. Productivity is 17 plates/hour.
• Dimension 450 Excel: a highly productive SRB2 format model with a bin for a further plate. It unloads in the direction toward the back and can be equipped with a bridge for an automatic rinser (for Anthem plates), or plate stacker (for Applause plates). It can be later expanded to include a system of automatic plate loading. Productivity is 17 plates/hour.

All new models have a new more compact external design and use a new ablative suction cleaner with a filter replacement period prolonged to one year. Other modifications were made to the internal electronics.

What's nice is that the price level has stayed the same as with older models and customers can benefit from the advantages of the new technology without paying more.