AGFA goes with the Flow

Stepping up to the plate for a digital market push, Melbourne-based Flow Printing plans another year of spending following its purchase of an Agfa Avalon N-8 12S CtP device with on-line Elantrix 125 Processor.

Ryan Carter, director of Flow, says the company had originally decided on a years grace from investing in a press. “We wanted a years rest, since we invested quite heavily with Heidelberg and AGFA in 2011. Yet a few digital contracts presented themselves that were hard to ignore.

“We have achieved great cost savings by capturing all our CtP work inhouse and can now get to the market quicker. We used to outsource around $500,000 of CTP work per year,” said Carter.

As a young company of only four years, Flow Printing is growing into any areas it can. Now that pre-press has joined the company’s direct mail offering for specialist work it has turned its focus on building a digital division.

Carter (pictured) is confident given the large amount of digital print inquiries coming through. If all goes according to plan then the company will be looking into expansion in the near future.


“We already have the work to cover investing in a digital press and if it continues to grow then there is no doubt we will install more of the same. We are currently outsourcing around $250,000 of digital work and talking with suppliers about a new press.

“Digital is not as straightforward as offset printing, but we are going in with our eyes wide open. We are also mindful of the difficult economic climate and are trying not to grow too quickly, hence putting a toe in the water,” he said.

The Avalon CtP was installed into a purpose built prepress area at the same time as a five-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster 74 CD joined the press ranks. The inhouse plates are also used on a six-colour Roland press with coater.

According to Carter, the demand for CtP has grown from a previous outsource figure of 600 to current inhouse production of around 1,000 impressions per month.