While dry imaging has been talked about for almost a decade, now at least four companies are making it a real alternative in newspaper production.
Xerox Corp., Eastman Kodak Co., Polaroid Corp., and Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Co. have all developed dry-imaging systems that eliminate chemicals and water in the page-film development process. None of their products have made major inroads yet in the newspaper industry, but USA Today has spent the last six months testing Xerox Corp.'s Verde Digital Film.
"We have successfully imaged plates with it," says Paul E. Pinyot, director of network operations for USA Today. "It's such a new concept that it takes a lot of digesting to become comfortable with it. There are some variables between the machine and the product that have to be controlled, but that appears achievable."
Dry-imaging systems transfer images to film without using chemicals that require recovery and recycling. All use either thermal heating or lasers to burn the images.
Manufacturers say that the absence of chemicals makes the process more environmentally friendly and allows for more flexibility in locating imagesetters since no water source is required.
"Papers are looking for ways to become and stay green," says Robin Shank, manager of print quality for Knight-Ridder Inc. "Dry silver and silverless remove waste-water production."
Pinyot says that environmental issues are the primary reason USA Today is considering dry imaging, since the company is very pleased with the resolution of its conventional film. Resolution can be a concern with dry imaging.
"The D-min for dry media is on the high side," says Tom Ireland, marketing manager for sales support at ECRM, an imagesetter manufacturer based in Tewksbury, Mass. "The Verde D-min (0.9) is very high and the D-max (3.2) is on the low side. It doesn't give people what they are used to seeing, but it works fine."
Polaroid's Dry Tech Imagesetting Film offers a lower D-min of 0.05 and a D-max of 4.0, but it only works with one brand of imagesetter.
Kodak's Direct Imagesetting Film also requires its own imagesetter, produced by Dainippon-Screen. Kodak's system uses a process called laser-dye removal. The imagesetter's digitally controlled laser head creates an image by removing the dye from the surface of the film, says Bill Fiorica, information specialist. Kodak plans to launch the product in Japan.
Ireland cautions newspapers interested in trying the new technology to make sure the film is readily available, since most manufacturers do not yet have the ability to produce in large quantities.
Rosland Briggs is a free-lance writer based in Chicago. Phone is (312) 262-8164.
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