The two most distinctive features of waterless printing are that it does not use dampening solution during printing and that it uses a plate with a deep-etch structure.
- (1)Advantages of not using dampening solution: quality consistency / reduced workload / productivity improvement / environmentally friendly printing
- (2)Examples of advantages of deep-etch plate structure: reduction of dot gain / uniform quality / high-quality printing / high-density printing
- (1) Elimination of related problems ： excellent response to uneven density / fan-out / deficiencies in dampening solution system
- (2)Pursuit of efficiency ： pursuit of productivity / introduction of numerical data processing
- (3)Counters skill loss ： aids in handing over to a new generation of press operators / makes up for experience and skill shortages
- (4)Differentiation from other companies ： use as a tool to achieve differentiation in terms of environmental and quality considerations and to create added value.
- (1)Number of companies that have introduced waterless printing : in Japan: approximately 1,000.
- (2)Number of dedicated printing presses of four-color half-Kiku scale or above ： approximately 700
- (3)Aims and reasons for introduction at time of initial release of waterless printing system ： higher quality, higher productivity
- (4)Current aims and reasons for introducing waterless printing ： standardization of printing management, environmentally friendly printing. Taking Japan as a whole, the widespread introduction of CTP is set to begin, while waterless printing, which allows processing of numerical data, is projected to continue to spread in parallel with CTP
- (1)Special ink
- DIC Corporation, Toyo Ink MFG. Co., Ltd., Inctec Inc., Sakata Inx Corporation, T&K Toka Company, Naigai Corporation, Mitsuboshi Printing Ink Co., Ltd. and nearly all other ink manufacturers supply this ink; it should be possible to obtain a supply immediately by simply specifying “ink for waterless printing.”
- (2)Special developing machine
- Joint processing of CTP and analog can be carried out on a single developing machine.
- (3)Cooling (constant temperature) device
- As maintaining a constant plate surface temperature is an important point in waterless printing, such a device is more or less essential with a printing press of half Kiku size or above. (Recently a growing number of models have this device as a standard fitting.)
- (1)Consumables
- DIC, Toyo Ink, Inctec, Sakata Inx, T&K Toka, Mitsuboshi Printing, and nearly all other ink manufacturers supply these, and it should be possible to obtain a supply immediately by simply specifying “consumables for waterless printing.”
-
Plates and inks for waterless printing tend to be more expensive than the wet printing equivalents. 
There are no costs involved for the chemicals and rollers needed with dampening solution (no roller replacement costs). The chemical fluid for plate processing only requires replenishment in small amounts, and no effluent is generated. There is therefore practically no cost involved for chemicals or effluent treatment.
The amount of waste paper generated can also be greatly reduced.
- (2)Facility costs
-
In waterless printing, enhanced cooling facilities and a special developing machine for waterless printing are required. There are no costs involved for the dampening system itself or maintenance thereof.
In addition to the above, when the increase in productivity and the reduction in paper costs and personnel costs are taken into consideration, a major benefit in terms of total costs is possible.
- (1)Facilities
- As accurate temperature control is very important in waterless printing, much more so than in wet printing, a certain amount of special equipment (cooling devices) needs to be installed when the system is introduced, and this has often been a stumbling block. Customers facing difficulties with this aspect should contact us as we may in certain circumstances be able to offer special help.
- (2)Because of the perception that waterless printing is expensive and difficult, it is often not given consideration.
-
Waterless printing is expensive The plate itself is admittedly expensive, but total costs are lower (see cost estimate table). Waterless printing is difficult When the technology first became available, waterless printing was not yet perfected and some firms who tried it then had bad experiences. Nowadays, however, waterless printing is almost completely free of issues. In recent times, there has been increasing progress with standard fitting of cooling devices, the introduction of special web presses for waterless printing (Heidelberg, KBA, and others), and adaptation of inks and plates, which has made the introduction of waterless printing easy.
Wet printing can also benefit from switching to CTP, but certain factors related to the dampening solution remain a problem. With waterless printing on the other hand, the use of silicone to replace the dampening solution makes it easy to control print quality and delivers the consistent quality and standardized management which are the main advantages of CTP.
- (1)Waterless printing emits absolutely no effluent from dampening solution and also offers an improved working environment.
- (2)In the plate preparation process, absolutely no effluent is generated, which makes the system very clean.
- (3)Because of the quick and easy set-up, a major reduction in waste paper is possible, which can also be expected to bring a reduction in industrial waste.
