Eastman Kdak Cmpany 343 State Street Rchester, NY 14650-0238 USA Revised: April 11, 2017 White Paper Cntact Name Nathanael Eijbersen Wrldwide Prduct Manager, Output Devices nathanael.eijbersen@kdak.cm Why Kdak CTP is best fr prcess free plates Back at Drupa 1995 while mst prepress suppliers were fcusing n visible light imaging technlgies Kdak and Cre annunced a new thermal technlgy fr imaging printing plates. Tday, 80% f installed CTP devices use thermal imaging technlgy, prving that this innvatin was the right chice fr the future. Since 1995, Kdak has stayed n the leading edge f thermal imaging technlgy fr CTP and plates and nw prvides the mst sustainable and stable plate making prcess available n the market. Kdak s CTP devices deliver: Prduct design and perfrmance that is ptimized fr sustainability and current and future technlgy, including prcess free plates. Optimized technlgy, including significantly reduced pwer cnsumptin, n ablatin while imaging, and CTP autmatin with apprpriate plate and paper handling. Unique SQUAREspt Imaging Technlgy, which cntinues t shw differentiated benefits fr applicatins where imaging spt size and shape matter. Befre getting int mre details abut these technical features, it is imprtant t keep in mind what an ffset printer expects frm an ptimal prepress setup: Lwest cst f peratin all the way t the press Highest uptime with minimal peratr invlvement Minimizatin f the envirnmental burden n the wrld arund us. We believe we can d all f this with key technlgies invented and wned by Kdak. Page 1 f 6
CTP devices designed fr tday s requirements ptimizatin and redesign CTP cmpatibility with prcess free plate technlgy is essential in rder t realize the full ptential ffered by this new type f plate. All Kdak s CTP devices ACHIEVE, TRENDSETTER, GENERATION NEWS and MAGNUS Platesetters are 100% cmpatible with KODAK SONORA Prcess Free Plates, enabling the cmplete eliminatin f plate prcessing equipment and chemistry, as well as the assciated peratinal variables and csts. Here are sme key technlgy features that have been designed with the requirements f prcess free plates in mind: Optimized laser pwer: in general, prcess free plates require mre laser pwer. SQUAREspt Thermal Heads have a very efficient ptical system frm laser t plate, which results in faster plate thrughput and less wasted energy. The laser we use is a 50-watt laser that, with abut 50% efficiency, gives us abut 25 watts n plate. Other systems are less efficient and, as a result, waste mre energy, which typically then gets turned int heat. This heat then requires cling/chilling, which requires pwer. Think abut yur ld 60-watt light bulb versus LED at 9 watts, which wastes less energy. The sizes and shape f the dt using SQUAREspt Technlgy allws fr a mre efficient expsure we image SONORA Plates at 150 mj/cm 2 with SQUAREspt Technlgy with the ACHIEVE Imaging Technlgy (TH5) it is abut 170 mj/cm 2 and with ther cmpetitive systems we need t ver expse further t 180 mj/cm 2. The latest plate and paper handling technlgy fr CTP autmatin: prcess free plates, including sme ther newer plate technlgies, can be mre scratch sensitive and/r light sensitive. New SCU and MCU autmatin ptins fr ACHIEVE and TRENDSETTER Platesetters emply technlgies that have been specifically designed t take these requirements int accunt. Examples include: Remving paper reliably, with n mvement between paper and emulsin n plate; Light tightness f the CTP panels, ensuring n special prepress rms are required while string plates inside the platesetter cassettes fr lnger duratins; Scratch-free picking, transprting and imaging f plates, regardless f plate technlgy. Tday s CTP devices als need t be ptimized t perfrm well when imaging prcess free plates; what was acceptable nly a few years ag may n lnger be acceptable with tday s plates. Kdak CTP devices have cntinued t evlve in ways that best integrate newer, mre ec-friendly Page 2 f 6
slutins, and they really reach their full sustainability ptential when cmbined with SONORA Prcess Free Plates. Examples include: Eliminatin f debris remval requirement: Unlike sme simple-prcess plates and ther prcess free plates, SONORA Plates d nt prduce debris while imaging, s there is n need fr a debris remval mechanism, and printers enjy savings in pwer cnsumptin (1.5 kw), space and especially nise in the prepress rm. Significant pwer savings: By ptimizing laser cling systems, autmatin and CTP engine technlgy, pwer cnsumptin is reduced by up t 43% cmpared t previusgeneratin platesetters and up t 95% cmpared t cmpetitive devices. Fr example, TRENDSETTER Platesetters d nt require a vacuum system t hld the plate n the drum due t the lw drum speed enabled by the wider imaging swath f the SQUAREspt Thermal Head. The table belw illustrates Kdak s nging cmmitment t minimizing the energy cnsumptin f its CTP devices. Pwer cnsumptin while imaging (watts) 2015 Mdel Current Mdel Pwer savings ACHIEVE T400/T800 Platesetter 700 400 43% TRENDSETTER Q400/Q800 Platesetter (F/X-speed) 1,100 770 30% TRENDSETTER Q1600 Platesetter 1,400 1,100 21% TRENDSETTER Q2400/Q3600 Platesetter 5,100 3,700 27% Size (and shape) matter - SQUAREspt Imaging Technlgy tday Many have tried unsuccessfully t match what SQUAREspt Imaging Technlgy has dne fr ver 20 years. As plates mve t prcess-free technlgy, the unique benefits f SQUAREspt Technlgy becme even mre imprtant. The small size f a single pixel and the evenness f the energy level acrss the imaged pixel delivered by SQUAREspt Imaging Technlgy are key t unlcking the full ptential f prcess free plates. Page 3 f 6
Extensive testing and years f custmer experience have clarified sme f the key benefits: Increased laser efficiency: results in higher plate thrughput, and up t 27% less energy is cnsumed relative t cmpeting systems Plug-and-play clr reprductin: in mst cases, n dt gain calibratin required when switching frm prcessed plates Superir tnal stability: achieve highest screening qualificatin with the same prcess free plate SQUAREspt Technlgy and SONORA Prcess Free Plates: the perfect cmbinatin Strnger imaging cntrast cmpared t ther imaging technlgies when expsed t the same expsure energy level, due t the high and even pwer density f the SQUAREspt imaging head. Of curse, the key benefits that set SQUAREspt Technlgy apart still apply: Maximum uptime with Gemetric Crrectin, enabling plate remakes n any ther CTP device with SQUAREspt Technlgy; perfect dt-t-dt registratin between CTP devices, enabling maximum peratinal flexibility Peace f mind with the widest available peratinal temperature range in the industry frm 18-30 degrees C (64-86 degrees F), enabling stable, reliable perfrmance Maximum quality and rbustness with Dynamic Autfcus, creating market-leading specificatins with Staccat 10 FM and 450 lpi AM screening Page 4 f 6
Kdak s award-winning, superir imaging technlgy prvides accurate, stable and reliable dts with wide latitude under varying cnditins. Cmmitment t sustainability Sustainability has always been and cntinues t be fundamental t Kdak s prduct develpment effrts, and we cntinue t invest in minimizing the envirnmental ftprint f ur CTP technlgy, including: Pwer savings with a new cling system Reduced heat utput f the CTP device, reducing the prepress envirnment cnditining. Recycling strategy fr used and aging CTP devices with a respnsible recycling prgram fr bslete platesetters, r Kdak s Certified Pre-Owned CTP Device prgram, which extends the life f the device. Page 5 f 6
Reduced packaging waste with bulk packaging f plates, including Autmatic Pallet Lad autmatin ptins fr MAGNUS Q800 and MAGNUS VLF Platesetters, which further reduce packaging and peratinal requirements. The envirnmental and perfrmance attributes f Kdak s CTP devices perfectly cmplement the sustainability advantages available with SONORA Plates, which eliminate plate making steps, as well as prcessing equipment, chemistry, pwer, space and variability in the plate making prcess with n cmprmise t n-press perfrmance. Abut Kdak Eastman Kdak Cmpany is driving innvatin and change fr custmers in cmmercial, packaging and functinal printing, and enterprise services markets with ne f the bradest prtflis f technlgies, prducts, and services in the graphic cmmunicatins and cmmercial printing markets. Slutins frm Kdak ffer exceptinal quality, streamlined prductin, and scalability t grw with ur custmers businesses, and nly Kdak prvides digital and cnventinal slutins within a unified wrkflw. We are a wrldwide team that perfrms with excellence, wrks with custmers t help them succeed, and brings innvative slutins t market. Fr mre infrmatin, visit graphics.kdak.cm. Kdak, 2016. Kdak, Achieve, Magnus, Snra, Snra News and Trendsetter are trademarks f Kdak. Page 6 f 6