Kodak has unveiled a new violet offset plate, the Libra VP digital plate, which is compatible with violet CTP plate setters and plate line equipment.
Kodak says the new plate offers high stability and quality features, such as long run lengths and 150 lpi (60 lines/cm) AM or 180 lpi (70 lines/cm) hybrid (XM) screening capabilities, adding that newspaper printers can achieve run lengths of up to 350,000 impressions if the plates are processed conventionally or up to 300,000 impressions when easy chem setups are used.
The company says the new plate provides the flexibility for improved efficiency in either conventional plate processing or with a streamlined easy chem setup. It says that newspaper printers who process plates in the conventional way can simplify processing and reduce environmental impact by replacing their traditional developer and replenisher with a single, low-pH clean-out finisher. Using this same finisher, printers wanting to further increase efficiency and save water can choose an easy chem setup that eliminates the plate prewash and postrinse steps using a modified conventional processor or a dedicated clean-out unit.
German newspaper printer Deister und Weserzeitung in Hameln has used the plates in a pilot. Carsten Wilkesmann, a management board member at the german printer, says, “The new Kodak plate meets our requirements for streamlined platemaking and high quality newspaper production in every respect. Our impression is that it gives us slightly sharper dots, which is good for print quality.
“Apart from the lower water consumption, the fact that the plate wash steps can be eliminated also makes the whole process much more straightforward and less prone to problems. The clean-out finisher in the plate processor likewise makes a vital contribution. With the previous plate, intensive processor cleaning was inevitable because plate coating residues had a tendency to settle in the plate processor and in some cases prevent it from working properly. With the new plate, there are no such problems. In our opinion, the Libra VP plate is an absolutely competitive product that’s geared to market requirements.”
