Alcohol is used as a wetting agent in the fountain solution to decrease the surface tension of the solution. This allows the printer to use less water on the plate for better ink control. Alcohol Replacement is used in combination with 187-A Fountain Solution Etch. There are no cost savings associated with this improvement.
Labor costs are slightly higher due to more precise operating conditions required without alcohol.
Lost production time and labor required to experiment with new fountain solutions and operating conditions.