Whether you call them chemistry-free or processless, new generation printing plate technologies are becoming commercially compelling. Print environmentalist Laurel Brunner of Digital Dots brings us up to date.
we don’t want to take sides in the semantic differentiations, so we’ll call them ’free when we talk about this important technology. And we’re talking about it because the plates, which do not need a chemical processing step or the associated hazardous waste disposal, are coming of age and moving out of their niche. They increasingly satisfy market demands for imaging speed, quality, cost and performance on press.
Performance on press, imaging speed and cost have kept these plates relatively niche. Commercial sheetfed applications account for around half of all commercial and packaging print and are an attractive market for ’free plates. But printers in this sector need plates that are quick to process, stable, robust, easy to use and that deliver high image quality, so uptake has not been universal. However, this could change with the latest generation of technology which is quicker, more robust and works on more demanding substrates, such as recycled stocks.
Until recently ’free plates worked for a minority of commercial applications, but the latest generations can satisfy over 65% of offset printing requirements. Based on the production cost and waste savings, environmental and economic arguments for ’free plates are clear, but today’s offerings image at the rated speed of most platesetters, are robust enough and can image sufficient tonal range. Add to this operational efficiencies, cost savings and reduced environmental impact, and it is clear that this technology is a suitable replacement option for conventional direct imaging plates.
Cutting waste and costs
Lack of a processing step in production reduces the amount of hazardous waste and the waste
disposal costs associated with print
media production. Errors associated
with unpredictable processing variables can also be reduced because their source is eliminated. And costs associated with water, chemistry, equipment, energy and manpower are gone. Prepress time is saved along with the resources need for cleaning out processors or clean-out units.
’Free plates are increasingly able to match the performance and productivity of plates that require chemical processing. They are
available from mainstream suppliers
such as Agfa, Fujifilm and Kodak in a full range of sizes and gauges, right up to very large format (1524 x 2057 mm). Such plates make a valuable contribution to operational efficiency because they obviate processing variables and help to streamline production. They image quickly and can hold stochastic screens with dots as small as 20µ. These plates are also a source of cost savings since they do not need a processing or specialised clean- out unit or the energy and time required to run and maintain them.
New(-ish) ’free plates
In the last few weeks we have seen two important ’free plate announcements. They are important because Agfa’s technology raises the bar for run lengths for commercial sheetfed offset, and because attention to Sonora is Kodak’s first marketing push following its Chapter 11 exit.
Kodak’s Sonora was introduced at drupa in 2012 during Kodak’s dark Chapter 11 days and perhaps didn’t get the marketing attention it deserved. The basic Sonora technology hasn’t changed but Kodak is pushing its advantages, such as its suitability for UV inks up to 10,000 impressions. Based on Kodak Thermal Direct technology, the Sonora processless plates are more than twice as fast as Thermal Direct and are good for 200,000+ impressions. There are two versions: the Sonora XP for commercial and packaging applications, and the Sonora News for newspapers. Tonal range for Sonora is 1-99% at 200lpi.
Agfa has introduced a third generation version of its Azura plate. The Azura TU with a tonal range of 1 to 99% supports line screens of up to 240 lpi, holding a 20 micron spot and tough enough for run lengths of up to 150,000 impressions. This is quite a leap up in durability for this plate making it more attractive to volume sheetfed offset printers. Also attractive will be the fact that Azura TU is daylight stable, so you can see what is on it. Azura TU images at the rated speed of most thermal platesetters and works with most digital 830 nm platesetters on the market, and has been accredited for many of these.
In addition to these two options Fujifilm has its Brillia Pro-T3 which has similar characteristics to Azura TU and Sonora, although its run length is limited to 100,000. Presstek’s Aurora and Anthem lines are suitable for shorter runs, up to 50,000 impressions, as is Ipagsa’s Klasse NPN3.
Although it has been relatively quiet for the last couple of years, we expect to see an advance in market growth for plates that require no interim processing. Printers are running out of areas where they can cut costs and improve process efficiency, so platemaking is an area ripe for improvement. The technology is ready and proven and the ecological and cost of production arguments are clear. Let’s hope that the price of this technology is also getting more compelling and that more printers will
embrace it.
