Kodak and Heidelberg are giving local printers the ability to keep up their platemaking capacity without sacrificing their sustainability, following the release of the new generation Sonora XP process-free plates.
The new Kodak plates, which are being distributed locally through Heidelberg ANZ, represent the next generation in Kodak’s platemaking technology, which removes the necessity of chemical processing, speeding up the platemaking process, while maintaining high-quality contrast.
While the new generation plates were first introduced commercially in April, Heidelberg announced on 30 May its launch of the product in the local market.
According to John Hatzimanolis, marketing manager of Kodak Australia, the new plates allow printers to have their cake and eat it too – doing away with the chemical process while providing faster and sharper images than many other plates in the market.
“The main benefit from the improved process-free plate is that it maintains the same good points of thermal direct plates, but it’s got faster imaging and stronger plate image contrast, among other things,” says Hatzimanolis. “Our hope is that the end user benefits from a combination f all the new features, reaping excellent print quality and running a sustainable organisation where they no longer have to make the choice between profitability or their sustainability.”
Kevin Birch, Heidelberg product Manager – Consumables, says the new generation of process free Sonora XP plates has been popular with customers around the world.
“We’ve been getting tremendous feedback on the high productivity rates, improved sharpness of the print and the cost savings that customers can realise with the new generation Sonora XP process free plates,” he says.
For Greg Howse, Victoria’s Signs Publishing pre-press manager, the fewer processes allow a much faster throughput of work.
“We’ve been able to halve our exposure time with the new generation Sonora XP plates and that’s made a dramatic difference to the workflow,” says Howse. “We’ve literally doubled our output. In addition to the productivity benefits, using the process free Sonora XP plates also means we don’t have to worry about having to clean up chemicals or the related maintenance issues of a wet processing environment. As a result we are very happy with the Sonora XP Process Free Plates”.
Birch backs up Hatzimanolis’ claim, saying that the new generation Sonora XP plates are based on technology that gives customers the ability move to a process free platform and benefit from the productivity and environmental gains.
“Everyone is looking to produce work more profitably and the Sonora XP Process Free Plates enable print service providers to ensure quality, and at the same time remove a whole lot of processes and costs from the production chain,” he says. “Removing the need to purchase and dispose of chemicals, reducing water usage and also energy consumption, can deliver immediate savings and reduce your environmental footprint.
“From a quality perspective the Sonora XP process free plate removes the variables associated with chemical processing and delivers great resolution and sharper print. All round the new generation Sonora XP Process Free Plates is a great, versatile solution that is compatible with all press types,” he says.