A sustainability option for offset printers is to consider switching from traditional, wet processed printing plates to process free plates. The attraction of this move is that it requires no investment in additional production equipment and does far more than just improve a print shop's sustainability credentials. Going process free also brings an entire range of applications and cost benefits and streamlines the offset workflow.

For printers looking to benefit from the advantages of process free plates, it makes sense to choose a supplier that can offer consistently high product quality, a long history in developing and manufacturing process free plates, reliable supply and the ability to continue to innovate in process free technology. As the first and longest-running (20 years) manufacturer and supplier of true process free printing plates in the world, Kodak meets these requirements.

Over the last two decades, Kodak has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to drive the sustainable transformation of plate technology through extensive investment in materials research and plate formulation development. Kodak Sonora Process Free Plates are the smart choice for printers looking to improve their sustainability credentials as well as reduce costs in both prepress and the pressroom without compromising print quality or productivity. Looking to the future, Kodak is committed to continuing to innovate and improve process free plate technology.

Where less is actually more

Process free plates contribute to greater sustainability and resource savings in the print production environment in a number of ways. These plates completely eliminate the plate processor and the associated consumption of enormous quantities of electricity, water, plate developer, replenisher, gumming solution, and clean-out finisher.

In contrast, so-called low-chem and chem-free plates require some level of chemical processing and disposal of used chemicals which of course involves corresponding costs. And plate processors or clean-out units are still required to process these types of plates.

Since Sonora Plates require no chemistry and no plate processor in need of cleaning and maintenance, there are no waste chemicals or contaminated residual liquids to be disposed of. All these energy and resource savings of course translate into tangible cost benefits. In addition, the removal of chemistry contributes to a safer and healthier working environment for a printer’s prepress employees. The elimination of plate processing equipment and chemical containers also frees up space in prepress and even allows platemaking to be established in an office-like environment.

“The ecological and sustainability aspect is becoming increasingly important in today's society, and we want to set an example here with our production processes. The fact that, courtesy of the Sonora XTRA Plate, we’ll no longer have any chemistry to contend with in prepress and we’ll also cut our energy and water consumption quite considerably fits,” said Tim Jordi, Company Owner and Production Manager, Jordi AG, Belp, Switzerland.

The switch to process-free plates also improves efficiency and quality in the pressroom. Once the plates are digitally imaged on the platesetter, they can be put on press immediately for high-quality printing. Process free plates eliminate defects and variability associated with traditional plate processing that can cause unexpected press stops and plate remakes. They ensure faster and more reliable press makereadies with less waste and reduce job turnaround times thanks to the faster route from prepress to press.

Innovation meets sustainability

Throughout the two-decade history of Kodak’s process free plates, one constant stands out: continuous innovation. For example, Kodak took the benefits of its technology to an unprecedented level with the Kodak Sonora XTRA Process Free Plate, launched at the end of 2020. Sonora XTRA brought various improvements, including faster imaging speeds, stronger image contrast and improved handling robustness. At drupa 2024, the company unveiled the latest improvement in process free technology with the new Kodak Sonora Ultra Plate, which represents the sixth generation of process free plates from Kodak. Sonora Ultra is an extension to Kodak's portfolio of process free plates, joining the highly successful Sonora XTRA Plate.

The Sonora Ultra Plate features significant advances and developments that make the use of process-free plates in daily production even easier. It offers up to 9x stronger image contrast than competitive process free plates, and 1.5x stronger than Sonora XTRA. Therefore, the visual readability of the Sonora Ultra Plate is comparable to traditional processed plates, making it compatible with most automatic plate reading systems. Compared to competitive process free plates, Sonora Ultra has up to 5x better tolerance for handling under white light. “The new Sonora Ultra Plate has excellent contrast and can still be read days later by the Plate Ident system of our Koenig & Bauer press. We did not notice any reduction of run length stability compared to the wet processed plate used,” commented Michael Wrobel, Management and Sales, Westermann Druck Zwickau GmbH, Zwickau, Germany.

Another advantage of the Sonora Ultra Plate is that it can be imaged up to 6 weeks in advance without compromising quality, which benefits flexibility and productivity in the pressroom. This enormous improvement will particularly benefit printers who image plates longer in advance due to their production strategy and who have previously avoided process free plates for this reason. “Even after a month, Sonora Ultra still had very good contrast, almost as if it had just been imaged. We also observed a higher print run stability,” affirmed Michael C. Töll, Member of the Board, BLUEPRINT AG, Munich, Germany.

All of these features contribute to the fact that switching from traditional wet processed plates to process free has now become an obvious choice for printing companies. Offset printers can embark on the sustainability path with Sonora Plates without having to accept any special plate handling requirements.

Reliable supply from responsible regional manufacturing

Users of Sonora Plates also benefit from the fact that Kodak manufactures its plates in state-of-the-art plants in Japan, the USA and Germany from responsibly sourced, high-quality aluminum and other raw materials in compliance with stringent sustainability and quality standards. Local plate manufacturing ensures that customers are supplied with high-quality Kodak Sonora Plates reliably, quickly and with the smallest possible carbon footprint for transportation.

With all these advances in Kodak's process-free technology, one thing is clear: for printers willing to take a proactive approach to sustainability there has never been a better time to go process free. Supporting high-quality, profitable printing, Kodak Sonora Process Free Plates help printers to meet shifting customer demands, improve their productivity and foster a greener future for their industry.