Waller and Chester
They have seen major evolution in the industry since it commenced operation 75 years ago. From letterpress, the company progressed to the installation of its first offset press in 1958. It now undertakes a complete range of A3 commercial printing and has recently embraced the latest computer-to-plate technology.
Clark Chester, the second of three generations of Chesters in the business, was quick to recognise the benefits of truly chemical-free CTP without the need for a separate processor and found that the Presstek Vector TX52, sold by Parrs Business Equipment, answered all Waller & Chester’s needs. “I was impressed by the unit’s compactness, its ability to operate in daylight conditions and the fact that it is chemical-free, makes it so environmentally friendly,” he stated. “The Vector TX52 offers an exceptionally quick turnaround, with the economy of metal plates at a similar price to polyester plates.” Waller & Chester pass this cost saving onto their customers, who also benefit from the higher level of service and quality. “We have found we can now compete price wise on many ‘small run’ jobs that previously have been the domain of the digital print market.”
Quality service has been paramount in the printer’s long history and something on which Waller & Chester’s local client base places great value, so it is not surprising that Clark Chester was looking for a supplier with a similar service ethic. “We currently use three different plate sizes so the prerequisite was for a company that could understand and act on our needs to maintain this level of service to all press sizes. We found Parrs Business Equipment obliging and pleasant to deal with. The members of staff are technically savvy and receptive at all times.”
Clark has also been impressed with the performance of the chemistry-free thermal plates which require no baking, special cleaning fluids or gumming. Since the installation of its first offset press, Waller & Chester has used tens of thousands of metal plates, but Clark believes that the Freedom metal plates on the Vector are the easiest to handle. “We had in excess of 20,000 impressions from our four-colour press in the last week, and we still cannot detect any deterioration in the image of the plate. I don’t think we could have had an easier transition into metal CtP than we have had with the Vector
Whatsinaname
When Stewart Winterbottom of Tasmanian print company Whatsinaname first considered the change to CTP, his criteria was an entry level system at an affordable price which would permit his 17-year-old company to handle the increasing number of digital files submitted by clients. For advice he turned to David Parr of Parrs Business Equipment, the Tasmanian agent for Grafika Links, who recommended the Kimosetter 410 thermal transfer platesetter.
Comparable in size and style to an A3 inkjet printer, the compact Kimosetter 410 is the ideal choice for small offset printers and copy shops as it fits comfortably on a desktop in a studio environment. With a resolution equivalent to 1200dpi, the Kimosetter 410 gives exceptional image quality resulting in smooth crisp text, sharp line work, high density solids and clean halftones.
The unique combination of Kimoplate e2 polyester plates and the Kimosetter 410 platesetter sets new standards in image quality and ease of use in the small offset CtP market. The Kimosetter 410 is capable of imaging full bleed A3 with crop and register marks on all popular plate sizes up to 410 x 510mm. “The plates are perfect for the majority of our work which is one- and two-colour short run, quick turnaround types of jobs. We have had runs of up to 10,000 without any problems,” Stewart Winterbottom observes.
Kimoplate e2 plates require no special chemicals, etch or fountain solution and do not require post fusing. The plate is press ready straight from the Kimosetter 410. This environmentally-friendly approach enables operators to work in daylight conditions. The platesetter uses its own special ink ribbon cassettes, and because no toner is used, the thermal transfer unit cannot create unwanted image in the background of the Kimoplate e2.
“We specialise in small business stationery such as business cards, letterheads and flyers, and the time saved in platemaking has improved our efficiency and output,” notes Stewart Winterbotton. “Since the installation we have also been able to provide a faster turnaround for our customers, which have been a further plus.”