Kodak’s Sonora UV process free plate, the latest addition to the company’s process-free technology portfolio, is now available in many regions of the world. Sonora UV is based on technology used in the Sonora XJ process free plate that has been commercially available in Japan since 2016. In the pressroom, Sonora plates, like the flagship XP version work with existing press setups and sequences. They are capable of running on sheetfed, heatset web, and commercial coldset presses and can run applications such as commercial print, newspapers, offset packaging, and UV.
According to Kodak, Sonora UV plates expand the capability of Kodak’s process free plate portfolio to an even wider group of print service providers. They are capable of delivering longer run lengths for UV print applications than any other process free plate – up to 30,000 impressions. This allows printers to take advantage of both the environmental and economic benefits of process free plates and the expanded set of opportunities associated with UV technology, including flexibility, high print quality, and faster drying times.For packaging printers, Sonora UV plates can meet the demands of UV print applications increasingly used by today’s packaging and commercial printers.
Richard Rindo, GM worldwide offset print and VP print systems division, Kodak, said, “Kodak invests in R&D that advances the capabilities of print service providers and equips them to offer a wider range of applications and tackle new markets while accomplishing all that in the most environmentally way possible. Over 3,000 customers around the world are yielding significant cost and environmental benefits from Sonora and with Kodak manufacturing facilities now located in the USA, Europe, Japan and China, printers across the globe benefit from faster supply, support and customer service.”
