Market And Required Technology For Laser-Printing Plate Systems

S. Thomas Dunn

doi:10.1117/12.955531

14 November 1977 Market And Required Technology For Laser-Printing Plate Systems

S. Thomas Dunn

Proceedings Volume 0111, The Business Side of the Optical Industry III; (1977) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.955531
Event: 21st Annual Technical Symposium, 1977, San Diego, United States

Abstract

Where necessity has been recognized and accepted as the mother of invention, its sire, technological opportunity has received far less acclaim and all too often simply been taken for granted. Neither is less important that the other; both are required to get the job done. Those suppliers having the misfortune to have produced the proverbial "white elephant" or from the other side of the market, customers who have purchased a "pig in the poke", are painfully aware of the principals involved. Laser-Printing Plate Systems present a unique case in point - akin to neither of these extreme cases, yet having marked characteristics of both. Although some 40 systems have been sold to date, several hundred are fully cost-justified, based on proven field performance, and are currently priced within the means of those customers who would realize the greatest cost-savings. Yet the marketplace is fraught with mixed emotions on the part of both suppliers and prospective users alike - skepticism and unbridled enthusiasm, urgency and lethargy, enthusiasm and indifference. The interplay between the technical and econometric variables that describe this product-market are both intense and subtle. The issues need to be clarified and addressed openly and straight-forwardly. One man's excelsior has proven to be another's poison. The premature demise or eventual success of this product-market is as dependent on closing the "communication gap" as it is in hurdling the few remaining technological obstacles. This presentation discusses the required technical performance of these systems as well as their components and discusses the market potential and timing as a function of the types of systems offered. The requirements for new printing plate photo-chemistry, compatible with lasers, is also discussed.

Citation Download Citation

S. Thomas Dunn "Market And Required Technology For Laser-Printing Plate Systems", Proc. SPIE 0111, The Business Side of the Optical Industry III, (14 November 1977); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.955531

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