
The year 2016 has been a good one when it comes to installations of Kodak CtP systems in Tamil Nadu. As the industry gears for growth, it continues with investment in new equipment and latest in technology. This year Tamil Nadu has seen installations of 10 thermal CtP equipment—thermal CtP platesetters, thermal printing plates, and Prinergy Workflow—a total package that enhances print production operations by bringing better quality and control, robustness, and a strong focus on sustainable print production. Some of the customers in the southern state that have installed Kodak CtP system are Digital Plate Systems, Frontline Printer, Eswari Cards, Vijaay Offset and Olympic Cards, among many others.
Digital Plate System in Chennai installed their fifth Kodak CtP – a Trendsetter Q800. Combined with Kodak plates, they look to utilize this added infrastructure for expansion of their setup. As a bureau, their core needs were speed of output and high resolution to meet the increasingly demanding needs of customers. They opted for a high-speed machine (X Speed) that delivers 2400 dpi output at a standard 34 plates an hour.
Frontline Printer in Guindy is another example of a printer going for a repeat purchase of Kodak’s CTP equipment. Their second Kodak CTP is a 4-up Trendsetter. Frontline’s forte is in jobs for leading newspapers and magazines, which meant that speed as well as quality were critical to their new printing unit in order to expand the gamut of services provided.
Eswari Cards in Sivakasi are typically into wedding card printing. They are leaders in this segment owing to their penchant to cater to the market with a very diverse portfolio of products, and a reputation that they have established over nearly 50 years of operation. They noticed the market for a higher degree of output quality, and chose Kodak’s Trendsetter Q800 CTP and Kodak thermal plates.
“Tamil Nadu is a market dominated by CtCP technology, as printers perceive this to be comparatively cheaper. However, printers are seeing the benefits from Kodak’s thermal CtP technology as well as from competitive offerings in consumables, and are assured that investing in thermal CtP is a great investment in the long term.”
Madurai, Tamil Nadu’s cultural headquarters, has also seen massive boom in business activities in recent years. This growth has also been true for the print industry, and prompted Vijaay Offset to choose Kodak’s Trendsetter Q800 CTP for their offset production. They are using Kodak plates for their print production of stationery and book-work, in addition to commercial printing jobs.
Olympic Cards is an existing Kodak customer, and they were running an older model of the Trendsetter 800 CTP platesetter. Their experience with Kodak and Trendsetter’s thermal imaging capabilities gave them the confidence to choose Kodak yet again, and they have recently installed a hybrid Kodak Trendsetter Q800 CTP with DITR film imaging capabilities. Catering to wedding cards and stationery printing jobs, DITR allows them a unique advantage in their space by producing consistent, reliable results with sharp image reproduction and exceptional background clarity.
“Tamil Nadu is a market dominated by CtCP technology, as printers perceive this to be comparatively cheaper. However, printers are seeing the benefits from Kodak’s thermal CtP technology as well as from competitive offerings in consumables, and are assured that investing in thermal CtP is a great investment in the long term,” says Arnab Maiti, general manager – South, West, East for Print Systems Division, Kodak.