Non-process plates help eliminate chemical waste

Paris, France, print house Imprimerie Grenier has invested in Kodak's Thermal Direct non-process plates to enable it to eliminate chemical waste.

Driven by a desire to combine industrial performance with sustainable development, during the last five years Imprimerie Grenier has adopted an environmental approach.

This resulted in the company being accredited with the Imprim'Vert label, followed by ISO 140001 certification.

Christian Crouzevialle, the chief executive officer of Imprimerie Grenier, said: 'We structure our objectives, implement technological monitoring and have moved towards cleaner production.

Kodak said that the switch to chemical-free Thermal Direct plates represents a significant step forward, and fits perfectly with the company's sustainable approach.

Franandccedilois Fessard, the plate imaging manager at Imprimerie Grenier, explained: 'Because of the no plate processing procedure, we've shortened the production cycle and eliminated developer, chemical and reprocessing costs.

And because operators no longer have to maintain the developer, we've saved half a day's work for two people.

According to Kodak Thermal Direct can be secured directly on the press after it has been imaged on to any 830nm thermal CTP on the market.

Essentially, this technology eliminates any variables resulting from the development process, such as the appearance of small hickies.

At the same time, Thermal Direct plates do not require any rinsing or gumming.

Fessard added: 'The plate is exposed normally on the CTP but doesn't undergo any form of chemical development.

The non-imaged parts remain soluble and are transferred to the first sheets once the water has softened their surface.

In addition, Thermal Direct doesn't generate any residue in the machine.

In the beginning, our operators didn't notice the transition and not a single plate was returned to the shop.

Kodak said that the technology enables on-press development, with no contamination of the press by the plates.

Imprimerie Grenier is impressed by the compatibility of the plate and the two four-colour offset presses that function with alcohol-free dampening.

It enables the use of Kodak's Staccato Screening, which can satisfy the most demanding jobs.

Imprimerie Grenier has a full set of plate imaging and proofing equipment managed by Kodak's Prinergy Evo workflow software, including pre-flight, normalisation, colour management, trapping and optimisation.

This workflow is helping Imprimerie Grenier streamline its processes and reduce production costs.

The Prinergy Evo software is the backbone of production.

It drives two eight-up thermal CTP units, including a Kodak Trendsetter 800 III platesetter and a Kodak Magnus 800 Platesetter, with automatic loading of production runs in the order of 40 plates per hour.

Magnus 800 is equipped with a cassette unit and a plate supply system, which places a new plate on standby while another plate is imaged.

The design and reliability of the CTPs have also helped reduce downtime.

'In the space of two years, the few problems we have encountered have been easily resolved over the phone with the help of Kodak technicians,' said Fessard.

Last spring Imprimerie Grenier acquired Kodak's Insite pre-press portal system, enabling remote proofing and validation.

Fessard commented: 'Digital proofing via the Insite system helps us meet our customers' demands regarding cost, responsiveness and user-friendliness.

In today's cost-conscious times, customers are happy to use soft proofs, as hard proofs are considered too expensive for validating routine work.

The company still uses the Kodak Matchprint inkjet proofing system, which is required by customers with precision jobs and helps operators put the finishing touches to colour adjustments.

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