TOYOBO MC’s Water-Washable Plates: A Game-Changer for Indian Printing Industry

Labelexpo India 2024 saw TOYOBO MC, represented by Lucky Graphics, showcase its innovative water-washable plates. This technology, while gaining global traction, has faced some initial resistance in the Indian flexo printing industry.

We, at the show, had the opportunity to chat with Mr. Masaou Matsuda, GM, Photo-Functional Materials Sales Section, who has been working with TOYOBO MC Corporation since the last 30 years shared with us the details of the latest offerings by the company. “Though TOYOBO MC’s COSMOLIGHT plates have proven their mettle in international markets, particularly in the US and Europe and we expect this transformation to take place in the Indian market too”. These plates, according to Masaou san, offer superior quality, are environmental friendly, and are also cost-effective in the long run. As the global trend shifts towards sustainable and efficient printing solutions, the Indian market is poised to follow suit.

Addressing the Challenges

“One of the primary concerns hindering the adoption of water-washable plates in India is the perceived higher initial investment, particularly in specialized processing equipment” Masaou san added. Additionally, he also felt that some printers harbor doubts about the efficiency and durability of water-based plates compared to traditional solvent-based options which in fact is a myth.

Expanding Horizons

TOYOBO MC is not only catering to the flexo segment but also to the letterpress printing market. The company’s PRINTIGHT letter plates have been a popular choice for decades, and the increasing demand for eco-friendly solutions is driving further innovation in this area. Nitin Patil of Numex Blocks based in Mumbai has been a Toyobo MC’s letterpress plate user for almost 40 years now and said “Toyobo MC, like most Japanese companies, are very quality conscious and maintain very high standards which only gets higher and higher as we have seen over the years”.

A Collaborative Approach

Lucky Graphics, a leading supplier of printing products in India, is committed to supporting the adoption of water-washable technology. By providing opportunities for test runs and technical expertise, they aim to dispel misconceptions and encourage printers to embrace this transformative solution. Rohit Sachdev, Chairman at Lucky Graphics emphasized “We are open to collaboration with printers in our country to prove the efficacy and advantages of COSMOLIGHT water washable plates with it’s evident advantage of environment friendliness.”

Also present at the Labelexpo booth was Mr. Kosuke Uehara, Sales Engineer, Photo Functional Materials, TOYOBO MC Corporation. “We are presenting water-washable plates (COSMOLIGHT) for flexo as well as letterpress printing at the Labelexpo India 2024, which we have been supplying plates for not only the label market but now also the flexible packaging market” he said. Letterpress printers have been using Toyobo plates for the last 40 years and the response has been very good, according to Kosuke san and he hoped to see same acceptance from the Indian customers for COSMOLIGHT, the acceptance they have received for their Printight plates over the years.

Meanwhile, another user of Toyobo MC’s PRINTIGHT letterpress plates from northern India, Deepanshu Goel, Founder & Managing Director at Creative Graphics based out of the Delhi & NCR was appreciative about the plates and felt it as a good choice for them and was satisfied with the quality as well. He added “The COSMOLIGHT plates may be a good option but the Indian market is highly cost conscious and might take a while to adopt to the technology because of the high threshold required”.

Mr. Matsuda explained the key benefits of Water-Washable Plates including environmental friendliness, reduced chemical usage and waste, high-resolution and consistent output resulting in high quality levels. “Faster plate making and reduced downtime always results in higher efficiency and then add the long-term savings on chemicals and waste disposal, all of which must be accounted for while calculating the overall cost of plate making” he emphasized.

As the Indian printing industry continues to evolve, water-washable plates offer a promising path towards sustainable and high-quality printing. TOYOBO MC, in collaboration with Lucky Graphics, is at the forefront of this technological revolution, empowering printers to achieve new heights of efficiency and environmental responsibility.

Chairman Rohit Sachdev of Lucky Graphics with their operations spread all over India concluded “The printing market is growing and so is the demand for plates and Toyobo MC provides plates to customers to have test runs too to experience the exact ease of use of these amazing plates and see for themselves what difference can water-washable plates make in their workflow”.