Print service provider Nuance 4 has improved quality, reduced energy consumption and trimmed waste after implementing a raft of Kodak CTP technology. After deciding to produce plates in-house, the company invested in the KODAK MAGNUS 400 II QUANTUM Platesetter, KODAK THERMAL DIRECT Non Process Plates and the KODAK PRINERGY EVO Software.
When Nuance was set up in 1990 jobs were completed in four passes through a single-colour machine. Orders soon grew, however, and Managing Director Yves Egon invested in better equipment and facilities. The company, which prides itself on its green credentials, now employs around ten people and has enjoys a deserved reputation for offering top-quality B2B printing
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Business built around magazine printing
Nuance 4’s core business predominantly involves producing weekly and monthly magazines, but the company also prints promotional business collateral. When customers request other products, such as banners, the printing house works with a specialist partner. “We typically work with companies that share our environmentally-minded approach,” explains Egon. “We put the customer in touch with the subcontractor and leave the two parties to deal with the order by mutual agreement.”
Green credentials at the heart of the business
From the outset of developing his business, Egon wanted to adopt an eco-friendly approach: “Where Nuance 4 is concerned, respect for the environment is in our genes. Placing the emphasis on our environmental impact from the very beginning meant that as demand for eco-friendly production grew, we actually needed to implement few major changes.
“We were green before the word became a commonly used term – vegetable-based inks, waste management, paper recycling etc have been used for a long time at our printing house.”
The right time for in-house plate production
Nuance 4 had been outsourcing plate production for a long time, but after closely monitoring developments in CTP technology Egon decided the time was right for the company to acquire its own system: “The KODAK MAGNUS 400 II QUANTUM Platesetter meets all our requirements – not only in environmental terms, but also in relation to quality. And the KODAK THERMAL DIRECT Non Process Plates help us save energy and work with minimal residual waste.”
The CTP system at Nuance 4 is located in a room which actually appears to have been built around the machine. Both temperature and relative humidity are kept at a constant level to ensure the impact of external factors on the machine and plates is negligible.
Low maintenance, less downtime
In addition to environmental and quality benefits, Egon cites the CTP system’s easy maintenance as a crucial factor in his investment decision: “A Kodak technician visits twice a year to carry out maintenance checks. That’s all that’s required. The system is highly reliable and delivers the requisite quality assurance for plate – and hence document – reproduction. The machines are always perfectly stable, and we do not need to shut them down for cleaning, maintenance or bath changes.”
Quick changeovers
The CTP system images the KODAK THERMAL DIRECT Non Process Plates supported by the KODAK PRINERGY EVO Software. Egon explains: “Our staff received training on imposition and how to use the KODAK PRINERGY EVO Software, which is very user friendly and intuitive. As a result, the switch proceeded quickly and smoothly.
“The KODAK THERMAL DIRECT Non Process Plates did require some adaptation. The image is not as clearly visible as with conventional plates, and we were afraid that the image was not quite perfect with the first plates we developed. But this was really a time and habit issue. The entire Kodak system is now deeply bedded in our print infrastructure and everything is running problem free.”
Nico Sleeckx, Key Account Manager, Kodak BeLux, adds: “Nuance 4 is rightly proud of its green ethos, and its investment in Kodak technology will help the company build on its environmental achievements.
“We’re delighted to see the printing house produce first-rate work, while being able to assure customers of their minimal impact on the environment.”
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