Camden Printing goes green with Kodak’s Magnus 400 platesetter
Seven-employee shop converts from film to fully electronic workflow
Camden Printing, a seven-employee print shop in Rockport, Maine, has installed a Kodak Magnus 400 computer-to-plate (CTP) platesetter.

The Magnus 400 coupled with the innovative Kodak thermal direct plate eliminates the need for film and hazardous processing chemicals. Instead, the system takes digital files, and through laser energy, produces a true chemistry-free, processor-less plate for faster speed, greater accuracy, and a completely chemical-free environment. “It’s the perfect union of efficiency and environmental responsibility,” said company president George Tripp III.

Conventional analog printing is done by shooting film, processing the film, developing the imagery, and then burning it onto a plate. The by-product of this method creates large amounts of film, film chemistry, and plate chemistry.

Some of this chemistry, fixer in particular, is categorized as hazardous waste and must be treated accordingly. While many larger printing companies have gone digital and incorporate CTP devices similar to the Magnus, none of these systems are both chemistry and processor-less free. The Kodak thermal direct plate is the only printing plate that is “developed” on press.

With the Kodak Magnus 400’s thermal imaging, the digital files are downloaded from a computer, then a laser writes the image onto a recyclable aluminum printing plate. The imaging process takes less than four minutes. “The Kodak Magnus 400 has been out for only a year,” said Kodak representative Dave Gaynor. “It’s quite unique, and Camden Printing is the first company in Maine to install it.”

“This move makes sense on so many levels,” said Tripp, who has 35 years experience in the printing business. “It makes our prepress more efficient and faster. Quality will be much easier to control. We’ll be able to turn around jobs much more quickly. And there will be no cost increase to our customers.” Plus, he said, “As someone who was born in mid-Coast Maine, I want to contribute to preserving the beauty of our area.”

Camden Printing has been in operation since 1979, providing top quality printing services to clients, as well as regularly donating services to many charitable organizations. For more information, contact Ben Tripp at 207-236-4112 or at ben@camdenprinting.com, or visit www.camdenprinting.com.