KODAK SONORA XP Process Free Plates Deliver Sustainable Advantages to the Very Large Format and Packaging Segments

When Grafiche Esposti in Mantua (Italy) wanted to find a way to combine the colour fidelity and high-quality images required for its customers’ display stands with more sustainable print production processes, it turned to Kodak for its technical know-how.

The result was an investment in the KODAK TRENDSETTER VLF Platesetter and KODAK SONORA XP Process Free Plates, in formats of up to two square metres (21.52 square feet) - a first in this sector. The plates eliminate processor costs and reduce environmental impact by removing the need for chemicals.

 

Giovanni Esposti, Marco Esposti and Silvano Finelli

In 1979, Giovanni Esposti, who was already working in the field of photolithography, founded his own firm - called Fotostudio Esposti - to supply advertising and industrial photographic services to local, national and international companies, especially those producing toys. In 1981, encouraged by the success and loyalty of his customers, he founded Studio E, a successful company combining photography and photolithography. In 2000, the company became Grafiche Esposti, following the involvement of Giovanni’s sons Marco and Stefano.

In the words of Marco Esposti, the company’s current technical and creative director, “Without quitting photolithography, which is still the core and essence of graphics, our activity has shifted to printing. Our years of experience in photolithography have helped us to maintain our strengths, such as colour fidelity and the quality of our work. Our venture into the world of packaging and offset printing began when we started printing high numbers of display stands for important firms in the sector. Coming back to this market more and more often, we came to love this creative and highly diversified sector, to the extent where we designed new cardboard products. The most difficult part of designing a display is combining creativity, cost efficiency and ease of assembly. Today, all of our work is carried out for direct customers only.”

Grafiche Esposti produces for various sectors: food, toys, cosmetics, glues, stationery products, stockings, etc. Customers include major names national and international brands. In fact, the company took the decision to target high-quality customers who would, in addition to supporting its commercial expansion, also stimulate technical and creative growth.

“Our lean structure, prepress experience and continuing investment in technology allow us to guarantee quick service, quality and flexibility”, says Marco Esposti.

A first for KODAK SONORA XP Process Free Plates in the very large format segment

Grafiche Esposti has a complete prepress department that already comprises a KODAK PRINERGY Workflow System.

The latest acquisition was the KODAK TRENDSETTER VLF Platesetter a few months ago. This reliable and robust system guarantees accurate, stable exposure thanks to KODAK SQUARESPOT Imaging Technology and has proven to be highly productive.

However, the real innovation at Grafiche Esposti was the decision to use 0.4 mm (0.15 inches) KODAK SONORA XP Process Free Plates in formats of up to two square metres (21.52 square feet), a sector first.

As Silvano Finelli, owner of the Kodak plate distributor F.lli Finelli, explains, “Colour fidelity needs to be perfect for display stands. The KODAK TRENDSETTER Platesetter and the KODAK SONORA XP Process Free Plates ensure this. There is no chemical processing because the thermal plate is process free and the screening on the plate is clean and unaltered, rendering printed images of better quality than those from processed plates. What’s more, moving to process-free plates had no negative impact on operations. On the contrary, the detail is finer and registration is better. With the KODAK TRENDSETTER VLF Platesetter, after exposure the plate is mounted in the printing machine. Just a few rotations of fount are needed before starting production since the plate is ready to transfer ink immediately and very efficiently, producing extremely precise and sharply outlined dots.”

“Our customers are not only satisfied with the quality of the results, many brands are highly conscious of the environment so they also greatly appreciate the fact that their displays are printed using plates with a low environmental impact. This is especially important in the food sector. For us it is a value added factor that is sure to attract new customers,” Mr. Esposti adds.

Passion and positive thinking

Grafiche Esposti has demonstrated that incredible results can be achieved with the right mix of technical know-how, flexibility, creativity, passion for the job and an endless drive for innovation. These factors have combined to put the company at the forefront in design and in offering customers innovative packaging solutions, in a constant quest to satisfy their demands.

The company’s latest cause for celebration was winning first prize in the exhibitors' category for short-term cardboard displays at the third edition of DIVA (Display Italia Viscom Award), an international competition organised in collaboration with Display Italia, dedicated to the best display solutions for POS. Grafiche Esposti produced a very unusual and functional totem designed by Marco Esposti - a coffee capsule dispenser with a special internal mechanism made of cardboard. In the words of the chairman of the jury, a professor at the European Institute of Design, “A stroke of genius in producing a product never before imagined, made of a recyclable ecological material such as cardboard.”

Olivier Claude, General Manager for Print & Vice President Commercial Business EAMER, Kodak comments, “Eposti’s award winning approach to print led it to invest in our leading environmental solutions that also deliver on that all-important question of quality. We hope this latest investment will spur them on to gain even more industry plaudits.”