[DTP Column 4] Successful Reduction of Environmental Impact and Improvement of Work Efficiency through Unprocessed Printing Plates

Efforts to reduce environmental impact and improve work efficiency through 'elimination of plate processing.'

The completion of printed materials involves three main processes: "prepress," which is the preparation stage before printing; "press," which refers to the printing process; and "post-press," which indicates the processing stage after printing. "Prepress" begins with the planning of the content and specifications of the printed material, goes through editing and design, and includes the creation of printing data using DTP and the output of printing plates. However, there have been significant challenges in the traditional plate-making process. 1. <High environmental impact> - The waste liquid, which is a mixture of developing solution and wash water, has a high alkaline concentration and is classified as specially managed industrial waste. - Acidic gum solution is also discharged as industrial waste. 2. <High operational burden> - Strict management is essential for handling chemicals and processing waste, and ongoing training is necessary. - Every three months, the developing solution and gum solution must be replaced, and the automatic developing machine must be cleaned. - If the automatic developing machine is stopped for 90 hours (4 days), a complete replacement of the processing liquid is required. The solution we have pursued to address these challenges is the introduction of non-processing plates that do not require a developing process. *For more details on the column, please refer to the related links. For further inquiries, feel free to contact us.*

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