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The Kodak Sword Excel plate comes in two different flavors. Original Kodak Sword Excel (G33 Grain) and the Kodak Sword Excel w/Ultragrain. The Original is a much tougher plate in terms of run length, resolution and durability. I have run both for about 5 years and will only use the G33 grain original because we run UV ink at times and it can be tough on the plate.
If you are going to be doing short runs (under 200K impressions) then you will probably be fine like Uncle Sam says. That is still pretty impressive for a non-bake plate. The Original will go for probably 300K impressions pretty consistently and can hold 20 micron dot structures using the 980 developer and 980 regenerator with upped replenishment rates.
Ultimately it comes down to cost. The LHPJ is a great plate as a comparison. It is similar to the Original Sword Excel in terms of durability and offers the foutain solution stability of the Sword Excel Ultragrain.
The biggest thing to look at is chemistry costs, depending on the deal you are getting.. Kodak will kill you in chem costs vs. Fuji.. something big to consider, don't get hung up on plate price and look at the whole picture including chemistry per plate costs.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
-Dub
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