UK Greetings makes Fujifilm thermal plate switch to improve green credentials

UK Greetings has switched to Fujifilm Brillia HD LH-PJE thermal plates, boosting plate resolution and reducing the company's environmental footprint.

The Dewsbury, West Yorkshire-based company prints more than 3m cards a week and uses a Screen platesetter. The switch to new plates has meant it can upgrade plate resolutions from 175lpi to 280lpi.

It has also resulted in a more environmentally sound operation. UK Greetings had previously used silver halide plate emulsion, which produced waste laden with heavy metal.

The company, which employs 3,000 staff, has also moved to a ZAC processor, which takes only four hours a month to clean, compared to the previous product that took four hours each week.

UK Greetings prepress manager Paul Saunders said: "There were several main factors that influenced the move to Fujifilm and these included a next day consumable delivery, the consistency of plate product, [and] the commercial deal offered by Fuji."

With a turnover in excess of £130m, UK Greetings prints cards for the likes of Camden Graphics, Carlton Cards, FMN, Hanson White and Gibson Greetings.