The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner
Drupa 2024 seems like forever ago, but it has been barely a year since the show’s doors closed. One of the most impressive introductions for environmental sustainability came from Kodak, with its sixth generation Sonora Ultra process-free plate.
The environmental sustainability benefits of process free plates is obvious: you do away with plate processing equipment, the associated chemistry, waste and its handling. You benefit from savings in equipment investment, processing chemicals, cleaning, energy emissions and floor space. Your plate production is quicker and more streamlined, and there are fewer variables to compromise the integrity of the plate image. In the case of the Sonora technology, the plate coating is removed on press within the first few rotations of the press. It gets mixed in with the ink rather than ending up as a contaminant in the fount solution. Tidy.
Kodak has over 6000 customers worldwide using its Sonora technology and Sonora is the print industry’s best selling process-free plate. Kodak has announced that Sonora Ultra is now market ready.
Sonora Ultra plates are positioned for commercial printers and carton printers, but it is suitable for other applications too. The latest version of Sonora offers substantial performance improvements over the previous generation technology. Ambient white light tolerance is five times better than that of Sonora Xtra-3 plates and image stability is up to six weeks. Image contrast is nine times greater than competitive products according to Kodak. These improvements, plus enhanced image contrast, make the plate more convenient to work with and facilitate improved quality management in prepress.
Kodak bases its claims for the Sonora Ultra technology’s performance on an extensive European testing programme. The plate is now in full production and Kodak is in the process of upgrading its European Sonora Xtra-3 customers to the new plates. The environmental sustainability of Sonora Ultra is enhanced by the fact that Kodak manufactures these plates in Europe. The emissions associated with transportation for delivery are therefore lower for European customers than they would be if the plates were manufactured elsewhere. European customers also benefit from time-sensitive delivery from the Kodak plant in Osterode, Germany where Sonora Ultra was developed. Apart from the convenience, local manufacturing reduces risks associated with unpredictable import regulations and tariffs. For printers this means more reliable and consistent supply and for buyers their print production is safely predictable.
Following the European rollout we expect to see availability of Sonora Ultra for customers in other parts of the world later this year, starting with North America.
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This article was produced by the Verdigris Project, an industry initiative intended to raise awareness of print’s positive environmental impact. This weekly commentary helps printing companies keep up to date with environmental standards, and how environmentally friendly business management can help improve their bottom lines. Verdigris is supported by the following companies: Agfa Graphics, EFI, Fespa, Fujifilm, HP, Kodak, Miraclon, RicohSplash PR, Unity Publishing and Xeikon.
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