When is a processless plate not a processless plate? When it's a chemistry-free plate! But is a chemistry-free plate really chemistry-free? How could it be, it's made of stuff? These riddles and bad jokes make deciphering claims about the latest plate technologies a minefield for the unwary printer and a pedant's playground when it comes to interpreting the vendors' market----ing claims and counter claims.
When it launched Brillia HD Pro-V, Fuji tried to clarify things by referring to its new plate as ‘low-chemistry' - although the plate isn't conventionally processed with separate developer, wash and finishing solutions, it does use a combined washout and gumming step with a single finishing fluid.
Whether you classify a plate as chemistry-free, processless, processed-less or low-chemistry, is to some extent academic: they all share the same admirable aims of reducing the environmental impact of the platemaking process by reducing the amount of chemistry, wash water and energy consumption used.
With the Brillia HD Pro-V, Fuji has brought those benefits to the realms of violet-sensitive materials, which is a significant feat. It first showed a violet low-chemistry plate at the last Ipex, at which time Agfa also revealed that it was working towards similar goals. These firms' plans were notable because, until then, it had been a widely held view that it was only plates sensitive in the thermal end of the spectrum that were capable of processless working.
Long-standing technology
Presstek pioneered processless plates over a decade ago with its PearlDry thermal ablative plates. Subsequently, the market moved on with the launch of other thermal plates: those that needed a water wash (Presstek Aurora); those ‘developed on press' where unexposed areas of the plate are removed during makeready in the first few revolutions (Fuji Pro-T and Kodak Thermal Direct); and those that use a combined washout and gumming unit to remove unexposed areas and provide an oxidisation resisting gum layer (Agfa Azura TS).
The photopolymer technology used in processed violet CTP plates differs from thermal CTP, as it needs a pre-heat step to complete the cross-linking of the polymers prior to processing.
"Originally we wanted to eliminate the pre-heat," says Fujifilm plates technical support manager Sean Lane of the Pro-V development. "We had been told that the lasers used in platesetters would get more powerful, so we could do without the pre-heat step."
While eliminating the pre-heat step would make for an elegant approach and a simpler process, Fuji realised that in order to take advantage of the technology, customers would have to invest in a new platesetter with powerful lasers.
"That would lock out a lot of the market by requiring investment in new machines," says Lane.
So the firm opted to develop a plate that required a pre-heat. This does require that there is a processor, but it also ensures that customers with most violet platesetters can access a low-chemistry plate. The only machines that can't use the Pro-V are the earliest violet versions with 5MW lasers designed for silver plates. However, the majority of the installed base of violet machines uses laser diodes of at least 30MW, which are plenty powerful enough to expose the Pro-V and with no loss of speed thanks to the plate's high sensitivity of 0.045-0.09MJ/cm2.
Cost savings
Firms that are already running violet photopolymer plates also save because they can use their existing processors too. "We've had a lot of interest from people who can realise the benefits of the latest plate technology without having to invest in new technology," says Lane.
For firms running violet silver plates, or those switching to violet, Fuji partner Heights has developed a range of finishing units designed for the Pro-V. The HD range is available in 85cm and 115cm widths for B2 and B1 formats respectively and is designed for firms using more than 250m2 of plates per week. For lower volumes, the MD is available in 85cm- and 62cm-wide versions for B2 and B3 printers.
Fuji has identified two target markets for Pro-V: high-
volume B1 and B2 printers looking for lower cost and lower environmental impact platemaking systems; and low-volume B2 and B3 firms either looking for a simple cost-effective CTP set up or a way to cut costs and improve the environmental impact of platemaking using an existing violet platesetter.
"At the lower end of the market, we are seeing a lot of interest from customers running silver who have got good platesetters. The demand has been incredible, much higher than we expected."
At the high-end of the market, Lane claims the photopolymer plates' high speed makes them an attractive option for high-volume printers, estimating that for a line capable of producing 50 plates per hour, the hardware costs of a violet machine are around 40% lower than a comparable thermal line. As a result, he argues that Pro-V may prove even more attractive to this market as the plate delivers lower costs without any speed penalty.
"Our thermal no-process plate Pro-T gives you the speed, but not the price, running at about 20% premium over processed plates," he says. "France was chosen to be the test market. It's notable that there, a number of installs have been for high-volume, high-speed sites."
The price of Pro-V, which like all plates is subject to the size and duration of the contract, is said to be "a small premium" of 10% over the cost of processed photopolymer plates.
As a low-chemistry plate, there are chemical costs to be considered in the financial equation. Lane says that the total cost of the one bath wash and gum is around 40-50% lower than current chemistry.
"Litre for litre, it's more expensive, but it's doing two jobs, it's cleaning and gumming," he says. "All the calculations we've done show there is saving, it can be 20-40p per litre."
There are other benefits from the Pro-V's low-chemistry formulation. As a combined wash and gum, there is no need for wash water, which can be 15l/m2, a cost saving and environmental benefit. The Pro-V also uses much less chemistry; Lane says a typical B1 customer might use 450l of developer and replenisher per month compared to 100l for Pro-V, a saving in itself, but it also reduces disposal costs which of around 30p per litre. The lifetime of the chemistry is the same as polymer developer at two months or 2,000m2, whichever is reached first. Fuji has also simplified the replenisher, with Pro-V only needing a replenisher for volume and not one for aerial oxidation.
"In this product, the chemistry has been more of a challenge than the plate," says Lane.
No compromise
On press the plate makes no compromises. If anything, its 1-99% resolution at 200lpi and support for 20micron FM is better than the LP-NV. Pressroom characteristics are the same as LP-NV, and the plate is good for 200,000 impressions and can be baked for longer runs. It is also compatible with UV inks.
While Fuji has done its sums on environmental benefits of Pro-V, the other side of the green equation, energy consumption, has yet to be completed. While some vendors claim violet platesetters consume less energy than thermal ones, there's no getting away from the fact that Pro-V's need for pre-heat in the processor pushes up energy consumption per m2. Fuji has promised to look into this area and to report its findings and it is something rival suppliers are also monitoring.
Having invested heavily in making Pro-V cleaner and greener through developing the developer, it's easy to see why it wanted to make sure it made the most of the message that it's low-chemistry, rather than no-chemistry, otherwise it would have hidden from view the benefits of Pro-V.
SPECIFICATIONS
Description Low-chemistry, violet-sensitive photopolymer plate
Sensitivity 0.045-0.090mJ/cm2
Speed
Same as existing
photopolymer violet plates
Run length 200,000
Resolution 1-99% at 200lpi
Bakable Yes
UV ink resistant Yes
Price 10% premium on processed photopolymer plates
Chemistry 40% cheaper per m2
Contact Fujifilm Graphic Systems 01234 245245 www.fujifilm.co.uk/gs
THE ALTERNATIVES
AGFA AZURA TS
This thermal chemistry-free plate uses its ThermoFuse technology to harden the image areas of the plate emulsion. It also offers daylight handling and high resolution.
Sensitivity 200mJ/cm2
Run length 100,000
Bakable No
UV ink resistant No
Price 25-30% uplift on processed plate prices
Contact Agfa UK 020 8231 4929 www.agfa.com
AGFA AZURA V
V, is the violet plate Agfa announced at Ipex. Full details and specification is to be finalised, but like the Pro-V it uses a pre-heat and a wash/gum step.
Sensitivity n/s
Run length 200,000
Bakable Yes
UV ink resistant n/s
Price tbc
Contact Agfa UK 020 8231 4929 www.agfa.com
FUJIFILM BRILLIA HD PRO-T
The plate is developed on press during makeready. Significantly the 120mJ/cm2 sensitivity matches processed plates and means there is no penalty in imaging speed.
Sensitivity 120mJ/cm2
Resolution 1-99% at 200lpi conventional
Run length 100,000
Bakable No
UV ink resistant No
Price 10-20% above processed equivalent (plate only) (m2)
Contact Fujifilm Graphic Systems www.fujifilm.co.uk/gs
KODAK THERMAL DIRECT NON PROCESS PLATE
Kodak's plate is a develop-on-press product. At 325mJ/cm2
the plate is slow, meaning there will be a productivity penalty or the need to pay more for a higher powered platesetter.
Sensitivity 325mJ/cm2
Run length 100,000
Bakable n/s
UV ink resistant n/s
Price 30% price uplift over conventional
Contact Kodak 01442 846514 www.graphics.kodak.com
PRESSTEK AURORA PRO
This plate drops into third-party 830nm platesetters rather than Presstek engines. It uses a non-ablative process and needs just a water wash before printing.
Sensitivity 150mJ/cm2
Run length 25-50,000
Bakable No
UV ink resistant Yes
Price 10-15% uplift over processed thermal plates
Contact Presstek Europe www.presstek.com 0208 745 8000
