Newspaper Printers Realizing the Benefits of Kodak's Non Process CTP Solutions

A number of newspaper printers who have transitioned to digital plate production with Kodak are ecstatic over the advantages they’ve realized so far. Morgan City Newspapers LLC, the Times-Herald, the Galveston County Daily News, McLean Publishing, the Statesboro Herald, the Jasper Herald, Enterprise Publishing, The Daily-Star Journal and Beeville Publishing are all reaping the benefits of Kodak’s non process CTP solutions with increased quality, consistency and efficiencies.

Many have also realized the environmental benefits of converting to non process CTP solutions with Kodak. The P-FN Non Process Plates reduce the use of chemistry and save printers the time that used to be spent on processing chemicals. Additionally, reducing the pieces of prepress equipment from five to one frees up floor space inside facilities.

Each printer installed a KODAK TRENDSETTER NEWS Thermal Platesetter with KODAK PF-N Non Process Plates, and KODAK PRINERGY EVO Workflow. Most also added KODAK PREPS Imposition Software, except Beeville Publishing, which purchased KODAK STACCATO Screening, plus KODAK NEWSMANAGER Page Pairer Software.

Customers Achieving Results
Morgan City Newspapers LLC, of Morgan City, LA publishes The Daily Review, a five-day daily with circulation around 5,000, in addition to several other dailies and weeklies. So far, the company is impressed with the significant time savings it has achieved.

“It’s saved us a wonderful amount of time already,” said Steve Shirley, Editor and Publisher, Morgan City Newspapers LLC.

The company also anticipates tremendous cost savings, as well as improvements in image quality and consistency.

“What we hope to see long term is a bottom-line benefit,” said Shirley. “We’re no longer buying the chemicals to develop plates and negatives, and we’ve sacrificed no quality whatsoever. We’ve seen image consistency improve already too.”

Eliminating the use of chemistry to reduce environmental impact was also appealing. The switch to digital was celebrated on the front page of the first issue of The Daily Review produced with Kodak’s non process system, announcing that the paper had “Gone Green.”

“It’s a tremendous step in the right direction for us,” said Shirley.

Saving space with Kodak’s solution was a huge draw for the Newnan, GA-based Times-Herald. Producing non process plates adjacent to the press represents a significant convenience for the company.

“We’re saving space and the environmental benefits from reduced chemistry are a plus,” said Billy Thomasson, Publisher and Owner, Times-Herald. “We get better image quality and consistency and we save time.”

The Times-Herald also installed Kodak’s Ink Optimizing Service. The paper marks its 145th anniversary this year, and has daily circulation of 11,000.

Eliminating the need for a processor and saving space made Kodak the perfect fit for the Texas City Newspapers Inc., owned by Galveston Newspapers Inc., as well.

“We’re a smaller operation, so the footprint of the equipment had to be smaller,” said Robin Lashway, Imaging and Composing Manager, Texas City Newspapers, Inc. The Galveston, TX-based publication, also a PAGE member, has a daily circulation of 26,000, and was also looking to maximize the time spent by each member of its workforce.

“The transition to digital helps make our workforce more efficient,” said Lashway. “We’re moving a lot of employees into the composing environment. With a small operation like ours, it’s important to be as efficient as possible.”