Abstract
Thermal plates have been quite successful in the offset printing market. Plate users are waiting for the displacement them with newer processless plates, which would mean no further chemical processing step. There is a lot of type surrounding the possibility of processless plates ; the most typical technologies are ablation, phase change and switchable polymer. Although some type of the processless plates are available or under development today, the limitation of runlength, sensitivity, and press latitude cause to introduce into the short-run market only. But there are some merits of processless plate, cost and plate making time and space saving. Next processless plates have not been designed for only on-press; direct imaging systems but also off-press CTP systems.
