Europe’s largest automobile and motorcyclist club, the Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil Club (ADAC), now utilizes KODAK THERMAL DIRECT Non Process Plates at its in-house printing department located in Munich, Germany. This latest installation at ADAC marks the 1,500th KODAK THERMAL DIRECT Plate customer.

As more commercial and publication printers opt for more sustainable solutions, like process-free technology, the customer demand for KODAK THERMAL DIRECT Non Process Plates continues to increase. ADAC chose KODAK Plates to improve its prepress productivity and lessen the environmental impact of its printing jobs.

ADAC provides services ranging from mobile mechanics to urgent medical helicopters. The company’s printing department required an efficient plate solution to improve and manage its extensive printing jobs, including ADAC maps of Germany distributed in approximately 400 gas stations along the autobahn. Kodak’s THERMAL DIRECT Plates deliver the resolution and imaging accuracy of thermal, digital plates while eliminating the installation, management and maintenance of traditional processors and processing chemistry.

''The KODAK THERMAL DIRECT Plates provide outstanding image resolution with all the reliability and repeatability of traditionally processed thermal plates. Plus, with the reduced environmental footprint we can still stay aligned with our goals of greater sustainability. It is a win-win for our printing department,” said Stefan Almer, ADAC head of printing.

THERMAL DIRECT Plates use a write-the-image, non-ablative technology, where final image preparation occurs on press as part of the makeready process, without any press contamination. The plates eliminate the need to manage processing chemicals and their effluents, and can be imaged by all popular thermal CTP devices on the market today.

By eliminating the processing step, THERMAL DIRECT Plates shorten the platemaking cycle and can deliver more jobs per shift, which means increased efficiency for ADAC. Removing traditional processing steps also eliminates cost, as well as any variability associated with processing. Ultimately, the overall productivity and stability of the digital platemaking process is improved.

''THERMAL DIRECT Plates do not require special handling on press or maintenance and simplify platemaking by removing the time-consuming and costly prepress processing steps,” Almer said. “This installation has fully optimized production in our printing department.”

''We are pleased to celebrate the recognition of our 1,500th Thermal Direct Non Process Plates customer,” said Doug Edwards, General Manager, Prepress Solutions, Kodak. “Reaching this milestone affirms our viewpoint that process-free technology has become widely accepted and is moving into the mainstream of commercial and publications printing.”