For nearly all of this century the graphic arts industry has been using silver halide based mages in all stages of production up to the final burning of the lithographic plate. Now the industry appears on the verge of a tectonic paradigm shift to media that dwell under the names “direct to plate,” “computer to plate,” “direct to press,” and “computer to press.” Although the new media come in many species, most all of them have two things in common: they don't use silver halide and they do employ a laser thermal procedure. The term “laser thermal” implies that the basic mechanism of the process is thermal and that the heat is derived from a laser beam. As the market develops, we find that diode lasers are the overwhelming choice for heat sources and, in fact, may be the key enabler of the new products.