OPC-D ... little brother of LaserScan OPC-B

As the Laser Scan video suggested the digital era was approaching in mid 1980's.       DIC's focus on the Organic Photo Conductor (OPC) shifted from those sensitive to visible light (for copying machines)   to those sensitive to up and coming laser light (laser printers).       By the end of the decade DIC produced OPC for the  laser diode and applied to printing plate use and called OPC-D (for laser diode sensitivity)       The plate was produced in Japan by a contract coater and was shipped to US together with DIC developed liquid toner for plate use.          We located a Minneapolis based company, Printware,  producing a laser printer with large format (11 x 14) suitable for printing plate application.
The machine was designed for a zinc oxide coated paper base printing plate for short runs.      We have persuaded them to modify the machine to take OPC-D plate as well as the a heat fix module to produce a metal plate.              The system was promoted as dual (short-paper, long-metal) digital platemaker.
In a way this was the digital answer to analog camera platemaker like the one popularized by Itek.
DIC followed up with an announcement of Synardica, a 30 X 40 large format laser platemaker using same principle and was shown at the Drupa 1990.
Our association with Printware was short lived as the plate made in Japan was too costly and the volume was not sufficient to produce in US locally (a typical start up dilemma!)          We managed to supply OPC-D for  a few years but eventually made decision to discontinue the product offering.   So the little brother did not survive long but this was our first tiptoeing into the world of digital platemaking.

Here is the DLPM promo video I salvaged from a trash can.