Photopolymer Violet Plates... 6 mil

[KimSaks]

Does anyone know of a source in the US for photopolymer violet plates .006" thick.
Other than Fuji I cannot seem to locate this plate.
I would think it would be a standard in that the 6 mil plate is factory spec for many small presses including the Heidleberg GTO's and Ryobi 3302 and 3304.

[SteveAgfa]

Kim:

We make a .0055" LAP-V (silver) violet, but I don't believe we make a 6 gauge photopolymer violet.

Regards,

[KimSaks]

I just don't understand why that is... make the silver violet and not the photopolymer violet in a .006 or .0055 thickness.
The fact is is that the silver is so filthy and anti-environment that it is being replaced quickly by the photopolymer system, which is, by far safer, cleaner, and nothing nasty to dispose of.
I also understand that Agfa DOES have a .006 or .0055 PHOTOPOLYMER plate available in Europe. Why is it not available in the US?

[JohnW@Kodak]

Hi Kim,
Photopolymer Violet plates are available from Kodak in the .0055 gauge and product is called VioletPrint.
This is the standard material we supply for the press's you mentioned.
Trust this helps and please let me know if you need any more information?
Cheers

[KimSaks]

Can you provide me with a source that has them in stock? Preferrably south west or western USA. I need them for a client of mine in Albuquerque, NM - ASAP.
Ryobi 3304 press
Plate size is 13.1875 x 19.09

[JohnW@Kodak]

Kim,
you can contact the Kodak customer service team at 1-800-677-9943 or GCG-CustomerServiceD@Kodak.com who should be able to help you find a local dealer and whether this size is in stock/how quickly we can supply them to you.
I do not believe we actually sell much of this size plate in USA but please contact the number above as they will know the local supply availability.

Please note that to use a Violet Photopolymer plate the platesetter has to have a 30mw violet laser head or higher and a photopolymer pre heat/pre wash processor. A silver system processor will not process these plates as it is not an open system.
Any technical questions should be directed to our Kodak Plate technical support team at 1-888-996-5877.
Trust this helps
Regards

[SteveAgfa]

John:

Rather than saying that silver systems are not open,
I'd suggest that photopolymer plates are not
designed to work in silver-based processors, just as
silver-based plates are not designed to work in photo-
polymer processors. There are different manufacturers
for silver-based systems, so these are not exclusive.

Are Photopolymer plates a closed system because they
can't be imaged in a 5mW device? Therefore silver is more
open than photopolymer? That correlation would also be
incorrect.

Regards,

[JohnW@Kodak]

Steve,
I consider a closed system when
a) there is not a wide easy available choice of alternative products.(If there is then perhaps you can list them?)
b) the processor and processing regime will not process other products giving the customer little or no options unless he changes the processor.
c) If a customer wants to change to another product can he do it easily and quickly using same equipment?

It is a fact that customers with 5mw lasers and silver processing equipment have very little choice to get alternative product that will work with both the setter and processor.

Customers having 30mw or higher Violet platesetter have a large choice of Violet Photopolymer products on a global basis and plates which will process in the vast majority of photoplymer processors out in the market.
Kodak, Fuji, Agfa, Konica, IBF, TechNova to name some, all offer Violet Photopolymer plates, which process through, G&J, Heights, Haase, Krause, Agfa, Fuji, Kodak processors.
Not only Violet plates but in newspapers there are also Thermal Photopolymer plates which can also use these photopolymer processors.
I stand by my comment,
Regards

[SteveAgfa]

Hi John:

Given that plates like Lithostar, N90, and SDB helped to enable to the birth of CTP,
I consider the terms "open" or "closed" to be biased. Given your argument, one could
then argue that Kodak came out with a closed system in 1996(?) with the birth of thermal
technology. Each technology has its best fit based on a snapshot in time for that customer.

Regards,

[JohnW@Kodak]

Hi Steve,
yes I remember products like Silverlith ( Howson Algraphy) and agree that these silver systems were some of the very early CtP technologies that allowed CtP to become what it is today as I was involved in part of the testing program in the very early days - sorry showing my age. I was also part of the early thermal days and it was 1995 that Kodak launched the first Thermal Pre heat plate.
I agree that in 1995 Thermal was a closed system as you rightly say and is the case with most new technologies but then it is how fast the technology is accepted and taken on by other manufacturers and suppliers that then makes it either an open or closed technology.
One could say that Photopolymer was the advancement on Silver and therfore that is why there are more product available compared to Silver of which Agfa among others have played a major part.
I was being open in covering a variety of manufacturers plates and processors rather than just trying to advertise Kodak brand products.
Anyway I will close my dialogue on this thread and leave it that we may have different view points on what makes a closed or open system.
Appreciate the dialogue .
Regards