OREANDA-NEWS. April 07, 2015. FUJIFILM Corporation (President: Shigehiro Nakajima) today announces the launch of a new concept and worldwide brand “FUJIFILM SUPERIA”. In line with Fujifilm's corporate slogan "Value from Innovation", the Fujifilm Superia offset plate making system offers new value to the offset printing industry by boosting efficiency and improving profitability, while continuing the company's enduring pursuit of consistent high quality and environmental stewardship. The concept will be officially launched at PRINT CHINA 2015, held on April 7-12 at Guangdong Modern International Exhibition Center, with the worldwide rollout taking place during the rest of 2015.

An important part of Fujifilm's strategy is to improve sustainability. With the launch of Fujifilm Superia, we have taken this approach one step further, and have been focusing on sustainability efforts to reduce costs – and therefore improving profitability - by analyzing how we can help reduce the consumption of paper, ink and the other main materials used in the offset printing process while increasing production efficiency by reducing labor requirements and workloads.

We have created five categories of resource conservation as the basis for improving profitability:

  • Saving materials: we can help reduce the consumption of both paper and ink, which account for a large proportion of the costs of printing, thus reducing total material costs.
  • Reducing labour requirements: by focusing on the end-to-end process, we can help eliminate unnecessary time taken up by re-runs and other tasks, and change production methods.
  • Energy conservation: we can boost efficiency by optimizing processes and reducing energy consumption and costs.
  • Reducing emissions: we can help reduce the emissions of substances that adversely affect the environment, such as chemical waste and VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), and therefore also reduce waste processing costs.
  • Reducing water consumption: we can reduce water and drainage processing costs by cutting down on wasteful water use and its subsequent discharge.

Fujifilm's SUPERIA system facilitates resource savings in these five areas through a diverse product lineup that encompasses CTP plates, CTP systems, printing chemicals, software and education and consulting programs.

Main SUPERIA solutions
The solutions vary according to geographical region. Please contact your local sales representative for further details.

  • Processless thermal CTP plates
    Processless CTP plates from Fujifilm are highly valued world wide as the ultimate in offset CTP, combining superior quality, productivity, environmental performance and economic efficiency. The performance of our processless plates is based on our MULTIGRAIN structure (MGV) technology - allowing us to introduce even better hydrophilic properties in our processless plates. In turn, this allows further reductions in water consumption, an improved resistance to scumming and outstanding print quality which can be achieved with ease.
  • Thermal CTP system
    One of the great strengths of Fujifilm's thermal CTP plates lies in the consistency with which they are manufactured. The aluminum surface processing MULTIGRAIN and MULTI-Coating technologies creates the optimal ink/water balance. In turn, this enables printing under a variety of printing conditions with the minimum of water, and greatly boosts production efficiencies across the entire process.

    The processing system employs unique, cutting-edge Fujifilm 'ZAC' technology, along with a number of other technologies. A development/replenisher technology that prevents the formation of development by-products, a special surface processing technology incorporated in the CTP plates, and a multi-layer technology with outstanding chemical resistance work together in synergy. This makes it possible to attain outstanding processing stability resulting in incredibly low replenishment rates and production of minimal waste liquid during the CTP process.

  • Fountain solution/printing chemicals
    Our fountain solutions, which play an important role in maintaining print quality, integrate several of Fujifilm's unique technologies, including emulsification control technology (which optimizes the quantity of water entering the ink), and grain refreshing technology (which removes scumming from the grains' hydrophilic groups). These technologies prevent roller scumming, glazing, roller stripping, paper dust removal, blanket piling and other printing problems, making quality more consistent and boosting press operation rates.
  • Workflow & screening
    Fujifilm's XMF Workflow system incorporates advanced technologies that help optimize many aspects of print production. The standard ink reduction capability within XMF is able to directly reduce the amount of ink used while maintaining high print quality - even when using transparency effects and overprinting. Used in combination with FM screening and high-definition AM screening solutions, which leverage Fujifilm's unique halftone dot generation technologies, XMF can take the combination of quality improvements and ink reductions to the next level.
  • Printing process improvement support
    At Fujifilm, we go beyond simply providing plates and fountain solutions, and offer consulting to provide all-around support for optimizing the printing process so that the plates and fountain solutions can perform at their absolute best. Leveraging the know-how acquired through quality control activities at our manufacturing sites, we can provide in-depth support for improving the printing process by diagnosing and analyzing the state of presses and fountain solutions, and revising plate production parameters accordingly. This leads to consistent quality, improved productivity, and reduced costs of materials and energy.

As a leading company in both plate production and the pressroom, Fujifilm remains committed to the development of innovative products that improve profitability while continuing the company's enduring pursuit of consistent high quality and environmental stewardship. The FUJIFILM Superia offset plate making system fulfills this commitment through resource saving and performance benefits of a comprehensive lineup of printing products, including CTP and PS plates for offset printing, platesetters, printing chemicals, workflow software, and consulting services. We will continue to develop and offer innovative products, and contribute to the development of the global printing industry.