A Full Plate

The vigorous debate over visible light vs. thermal imaging continues, implying that neither technology will be fading from the marketplace anytime soon.

Fuji's Crawford believes thermal and visible light technologies have achieved equal market presence, with printers opting for one or the other based on previous vendor relationships, workflow needs, run length requirements and customer specifications. He says thermal plates have a slight advantage in run length and can be handled in yellow safe light conditions, while visible light plates offer the advantage of processing equipment with a smaller footprint. "Where it matters most," he emphasizes, "pressroom performance in such areas as roll-up and ink/water balance will be identical no matter which technology is selected."