SCHENECTADY COMPUTER MAKER SET TO GO PUBLIC.(Business)

Byline: James Denn Business writer

Bitwise Designs Inc., a homegrown computer manufacturer in Schenectady, is going public in an attempt to tap an estimated $12 billion-a- year computer-imaging market.

John T. Botti, president and co-founder of Bitwise, announced Friday that the company has registered its plans with the Securities Exchange Commission for an initial public stock offering worth up to $4.5 million.

The 7-year-old company designs, manufactures and distributes IBM-compatible personal computers. It does not manufacture any of the component parts, but buys parts from other suppliers.

The plan is to sell 1 million shares, or about …