Southern Lithoplate Adds CTP Sites

By: E&P Staff Pioneer Newspapers' Skagit Valley Herald, Mount Vernon, Wash., has contracted with Southern Lithoplate Inc. to convert from analog platemaking to computer-to-plate output using thermal technology as part of a planned expansion into a new production plant equipped with a Manugraph DGM Inc. singlewide press.

Digital platesetting will rely on a Screen News 2000S imager, in-line Proteck 105 processor and Southern Lithoplate Viper 830 thermal plates.

Two California newspaper printers also have contracted with Southern Lithoplate in moves to CTP. Carson-based Rodgers and McDonald, heatset and coldest printer of such titles as the biweekly Long Beach Business Journal and Los Angeles Business Journal, as well as trade show dailies, magazines, catalogs, and direct mail pieces, now uses Southern Lithoplate Cobra 830 and Viper 830 thermal plates and has installed two in-line Proteck 105 plate processors with its existing platesetters.

Expecting "significantly lower operating costs" using the Southern Lithoplate plates, Prepress Manager Desmond Regan said in statement that his operation has "been able to run greater than 300,000 impressions on our coldset press, and more than 500,000 impressions on our heat set press, both with excellent print quality."

News Publishers' Press, in Glendale, which specializes in community, trade school, and special-interest newspapers, changed over from analog film and plates late last year after installing a Screen News 2000LE with an in-line Proteck 105 plate processor and running Viper 630 plates. The integrated offering from the Southern Litho CtP Alliance produces 26 plates per hour when using 35x23.2-inch plates at a resolution of 1,200 dpi.