In the Grow Your Biz blog post, "Your Chemistry Free Plate Requires Chemistry", I challenged Agfa's "chemistry free" messaging claiming that Agfa's "chemistry free plates" were neither free of chemistry nor is the chemistry itself free. The posting triggered many to ask and a few to pose the question on PrintPlanet.com, "what chemicals are in that 'chemistry free' solution?" Agfa replied with "Agfa rolled-out the Azura implementation with the preservative gum as the only 'chemical.'" Our point exactly...

Just this week, Simon Nias of PrintWeek reported that "Fujifilm will replace 'misleading' chemistry-free tag with 'low-chemistry' for plate ranges". Kudos to Fujifilm for challenging the credentials of "chemistry free"..

Agfa - the cat's out of the bag. It's your turn to revamp your misleading marketing slogans and be honest to your customers.

Marketing can be a fun job, suited to creative people who enjoy the excitement of positioning new products and getting the upper hand on your competition.  It's a continual game of one-upmanship and counter-positioning. 

A good marketing campaign builds upon your core strengths, positioning them in a way that demonstrates unique value to your customers.  It's a magical thing when done well.

Over the last few years, the energy and focus going into environmental-based marketing has ramped up dramatically, which is a good thing if the products really benefit the environment.  I don't usually like to talk badly about our competitors (that's not my way of marketing), but recently they've gone just a step or two too far and I just have to call them out on it.

To compete with Kodak's Thermal Direct plate, Agfa has been touting their "Chemistry Free" messaging since the launch of Azura.  As absurd and deceptive as that message is (the plate system is neither free of chemistry, nor is the chemistry itself free), they're banking on the precarious argument of what exactly is "chemistry".  Sure, the chemicals might be different and more dilute, but they're still chemicals - especially if you consider the dissolved plate goop that builds up throughout the bath life: it has to be handled like chemistry - because it is chemistry. 

At IfraExpo a couple of weeks ago, Agfa defined Chemistry Free as "only use of non aggressive chemicals." Huh? In the same presentation, they say "Chemistry Free means 'No Developer/Replenisher.'" International Paper's Pocket Pal, arguably the industry standard for definitions of graphic arts terms, defines "developer" as "in lithographic platemaking, the material used to remove the unexposed coating." Agfa's marketing literature clearly says that the purpose of their clean out gum for Azura is to wash away the non-imaged areas of the plate. But it's not "developer?" If it quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck.  :)

Lately, Agfa has even extended their messaging to start calling Azura "Processless." So now they have a "Processless" and "Chemistry Free" plate that requires both a processor and chemistry... go figure.

It appears that redefining the words "chemistry" and "developer" (and even "free"!) are the only ways Agfa can find to position their plate against Thermal Direct.  Now although we call Thermal Direct a Non Process plate, we fully disclose that it's a "Develop On Press" plate.  The action of removing the unexposed coating still happens, but because it happens automatically and seamlessly as part of the normal make-ready process on the press, in effect there is no separate processing step or processing equipment required.  No matter what you call it in marketing-speak, the full value is clear:  total elimination of all processing chemistry and disposal, all processing equipment, all maintenance, and all developer-related variation in the system.  As Shakespeare said, "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet".  Or I guess in Azura's case - it would still smell like chemistry. 

Enough said.  We're ready for the next round... bring it on!

11-18 Update: this post has created a lively discussion on the PrintPlanet forum: http://printplanet.com/forums/computer-plate/16238-azura-plate-chemistry-free