Imprimerie Pollina

Established in 1968, Imprimerie Pollina is recognized as one of Europe’s premier book printers, producing approximately six million books each month. In addition to books, Pollina's production portfolio encompasses magazines, catalogs, and directories.

In a sprawling industrial production environment of over 45,000 sqm (485,000 sq. ft.), the company operates six sheetfed offset presses in configurations from four to eight colors and with formats between B1 and 1,300 x 1,850 mm, as well as a 16-page and a 64-page web offset press.

As a loyal Kodak customer for over 20 years, Imprimerie Pollina aimed to modernize and streamline its platemaking department, which produces approximately 400 printing plates per day, primarily in VLF sizes. The company's management believes that expanding automation across its operations is essential for enhancing productivity and competitiveness in an ever-evolving market.

In addition, Imprimerie Pollina is committed to reducing the environmental impact of print by adopting more sustainable methodologies and consumables. Consequently, the company attaches great importance to implementing strategies and solutions in prepress that align with these goals.

Imprimerie Pollina commissioned a highly automated KODAK MAGNUS Q3600 Titan Platesetter with Multi-Pallet Loader (MPL) automation in November 2024. The new, versatile platesetter, which is suitable for 4-up, 8-up and VLF plate sizes, replaced the two oldest of three KODAK MAGNUS VLF Platesetters. The print shop opted for the fast W-speed option, which enables the MAGNUS Q3600 Titan to image 52.6 B1 plates per hour. Imprimerie Pollina chose the three-segment MPL configuration for four plate pallets with up to 1,500 plates each for the new platesetter. Alongside the MAGNUS Q3600 Titan, Pollina today operates a MAGNUS VLF Platesetter with Automatic Pallet Loader and a MAGNUS Q800 Platesetter with Multi-Pallet Loader.

To further improve operational sustainability, production on all sheetfed presses was switched from traditional wet processed plates to KODAK SONORA XTRA Process Free Plates* at the beginning of 2024, and the transition to SONORA Ultra Process Free Plates has now begun. "This change in sheetfed offset, which accounts for 80% of our total plate requirements, has enabled us to significantly reduce our consumption of water, electricity and processing chemicals in prepress," commented Laurent Pollina. "The transition to SONORA Plates has simplified platemaking, helping us to get to press faster. The plates perform exceptionally well on press, allowing us to deliver high-quality and efficiently produced print products to our customers, on time." Moreover, the company is currently testing production with SONORA XTRA-2 plates on its web offset presses.

The acquisition of the new MAGNUS Q3600 Titan Platesetter with MPL automation has helped Imprimerie Pollina consolidate its CTP equipment and maximize the efficiency of its platemaking. The printer is greatly satisfied with both Kodak's CTP and process-free plate technology, as well as the ongoing support from the vendor. Laurent Pollina states, "Over the years, the local Kodak Service & Support team has leveraged their extensive experience and technical expertise to enhance our prepress processes and maximize the potential of our CTP equipment."

Following the successful investment in the new MAGNUS Q3600 Titan Platesetter and SONORA XTRA Process Free Plates, Laurent Pollina and his team are confident that their partnership with Kodak will continue to help them tackle future challenges and projects.