Pearl Printers eliminates plate bottleneck with Thermostar T9

The ThermoStar T9 uses a single laser beam source which is split into 256 channels through a special optical device. The initial offering of T9 is a 40PPH (8up size) machine. The working life of the laser head is 10000+ hours. Since the laser beam is ‘on’ only when it exposes the plate, the life of laser box is long.

The machine has been supplied by TechNova Imaging Systems.

According to Ashwani Thapar, proprietor, Pearl Printers the USP of ThermoStar T9 is its economical maintenance cost. “We produce around 250 plates in our daily operation. More output from the machine directly affects the life of the CTP and you need maintenance,” he said, adding, “Our confidence in the machine also stems from the fact that the machine is supplied and maintained by TechNova. Our print has been on the rise, and as a total service provider, they were always available to give advice on how as a service provider can we increase our capabilities to offer our customers a fast and quality print.”

The 8-up CTP device can produce maximum plate size up to 28x40-inches. The commercial print market is very competitive and to compete in the market, economic prices and faster turnaround are the two key aspects, Thapar added.

Pearl uses two RMGT and few pre-owned Heidelberg printing presses. “The newly installed CTP is capable enough to feed all our printing presses,” said Thapar. “We do multiple sets of jobs in a day. A set of job ranges from a minimum of 1,000 to 5,000 sheets,” he said.

Thapar said the high-end commercial printing market is growing and printing exports into the Middle East and African markets are also growing. “Right now, higher volume jobs go to China. We hope very soon Indian printers too will be able to do such jobs,” he said.

Thapar, a self-made entrepreneur, has more than three decades of hands-on experience. He joined the industry as a helper in 1981 and worked in two printing companies, before starting out on his own in 1998.

In a 20,000 sqft facility, Pearl works round-the-clock with more than 100 people, of which 35 members are on a payroll and the rest are on contracts. The company gets work from more than 200 clients, 150 of which are account holders with Pearl.