Derek Awalt's Posts
Warning: Your Chemistry Free Plate Requires Chemistry
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.
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
Comments
Posted By: Kent Walker (11/4/2009)
Comment: Azura is a great plate. Very stable and reliable. The Azura Gum is harmless and you use very little of it. Whatever you call it, it works better than the alternatives from Kodak and Agfa.
Posted By: SineadJakes (5/27/2009)
Comment: It doesn't matter how you try to 'wordsmith' this to suit your own aims. The important point is does it work and is it green? Azura use a gum which can be dispossed easily and utilises 20L per month. I found this to be a lot better than Thermal Direct which is quite poor on press and continues to develop after the exposure via the ambient light, also if the press is an older press unit then it typically has to have the top layer deeloped manuially
Posted By: Derek Awalt (11/18/2008)
Comment: Pat, Thank you for your comments. My reason for the post was to challenge Agfa's marketing claim that no chemistries are involved with the Azura plate. I'm glad this post has started a healthy debate here and on PrintPlanet.com. Printers deserve the respect of being able to judge between solutions based on facts and not misleading marketing claims. I absolutely agree with your concerns about material removal and possible contamination. For Kodak Thermal Direct Plates, the single layer coating is removed from the plate by the make-ready sheets and does not contaminate the inks or fountain solution. Typically a press requires about 20 sheets to successfully remove the coating, and there has never been a customer complaint about press contamination. The true benefit of Thermal Direct is the fact that is no processor, no chemistry, no gumming or clean out solution is required.
Posted By: Pat Berger (11/18/2008)
Comment: Putting exposed plate material in water and ink systems that contains hundreds of different chemicals that can combine with the removed coatings and turn into who knows what doesn't sound safe. To properly dispose of the spent fountain solutions and ink they would have to be analyzed first to determine how and where they can be disposed properly.
Posted By: Pat Berger (11/17/2008)
Comment: All plates have material removed. It doesn't matter how it is done it is still done. Some contaminate the air with sublimated micro particles,some contaminate press room chemistry adding dyes and polymers and polys while others contaminate in a controlled processor. Some pollute more some less but they all pollute. It is always the same gal just a different skirt.