Agfa sets future directions at IPEX with a range of innovations for the printing & graphic arts markets
Photo: Steve Taylor, Agfa New Zealand; Bruce Lowery and Garry Muratore, Agfa Australia, in front of Quicksilver, the world's fastest boat with some of Agfa's glamorous IPEX support staff.
“I think the printing industry will change more in the next five years than it possibly has in the past 50 year," says Agfa’s Regional Marketing Manager Garry Muratore. “Commercial Printing is fast moving towards a computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) model based on automation with JDF at its core. We are seeing new print market segments being established on the back of high-speed, high-resolution inkjet technologies.”
Vendors have had to change and while Agfa has always based its marketing philosophy on being able to supply the complete picture in prepress technologies, its product focus has shifted heavily towards innovation. “In the past few years we have invested more than 350 million euro in R&D which has allowed us to Stay Ahead of other vendors in terms of engine, plate, software and inkjet technologies,” said Muratore.
Staying ahead at IPEX
Agfa’s new corporate tag-line Stay Ahead was again reinforced by an impressive line-up of new and innovative technologies at IPEX .The prepress news included next-generation thermal printing plates, new computer-to-plate systems, enhanced and better integrated software for workflow, project management and digital proofing. Agfa’s venture into new inkjet technologies bore fruit at IPEX with an expanded inkjet portfolio for a wider range of high-end digital printing applications.
Widest range of digital plates meets the needs of any printing operation.
Agfa Graphics now has the widest choice of digital plates to suit the exact needs of printing companies in commercial, packaging and newspaper printing applications. :Energy, :Energy Marathon and :Energy Elite target the largest segment of today’s offset plate market – the global market for thermal plates is estimated to be over 200 million sq.m/year business in 2006.
:Energy
:Energy is Agfa Graphics’ new general-purpose plate for the thermal CtP (computer-to-plate) market. It will gradually replace the current :Thermostar P970, which has enjoyed great success throughout Australia & New Zealand.
“:Energy brings high sensitivity for full-capacity throughput in any Agfa or third-party platesetter with an 830nm thermal laser” said Muratore who was on hand to answer questions from the Australian & New Zealand contingent that made the long trek to Birmingham. “:Energy is qualified for all major thermal platesetters, as well as operating in virtually all thermal plate processors.”
Consistent within the whole :Energy family of plates, :Energy is capable of the highest quality reproduction: 1 – 99 per cent at 200lpi, FM screening and 340lpi :Sublima.
To compliment the :Energy plate, there is new :Energy Developer, which gives clean processing with low replenishment rates – long bath life of six weeks or more and simple drain and rinse cleaning. The :Energy Developer is back compatible with :Thermostar P970 to enable an easy changeover for existing Agfa customers.
Chemistry-free enjoying global success
“With ThermoFuse and :Azura, we have taken the lead in the trend toward process-free platemaking. We added :Amigo to the ThermoFuse family at the end of last year. Early user feedback shows that :Amigo may well prove even more successful than chemistry-free :Azura, which has been installed in over 600 printing sites around the world in little over a year,” said Muratore.
“When we surveyed printers’ requirements for thermal plates, they told us what they are looking for is more robust plates with better stability and wider latitude, long run lengths, no baking, good resistance to alcohol substitutes and UV inks, less complex or chemistry-free processing. Agfa Graphics’ new assortment meets all of these requirements.”
Violet chemistry-free joins Agfa stable
In what was perhaps one of the few vendor surprises at IPEX, Agfa conducted a technology demonstration of an as yet un-named chemical free violet plate.
Agfa Graphics offered show goers a preview of a working chemistry-free plate for Violet-laser CtP. Agfa Graphics’ violet chemistry-free plate will use ‘photopolymerisation’ as the digital imaging principle. After the violet laser forms the printing image, no chemical process affects or alters it in any way. Prior to a cleanout step, the plate is preheated to stabilise and harden the printing image so that non-image areas can be removed safely using preservative gum. (Similar to the process used in both: Azura and: Amigo chemical free plates)
The speed of the plate material being previewed is the same as a regular polymer plate (50µJ/cm2) for full throughput in all current violet-laser CtP units, which means existing and new violet CtP users will be able to upgrade current installations to chemistry-free plates. This offers users significant advantages over planned competitive systems that rely on the availability of as yet unreleased higher-powered violet laser diodes. The Agfa plate will take advantage of 30mw diodes of which have been available for several years.
“There is no need to wait for higher power lasers: the technology we are demonstrating today proves the feasibility of violet chemistry-free plates with all current violet platesetters. If our tests and developments continue successfully, we are hoping to have many happy customers using this new technology by the end of next year,” said Muratore.
The new plate offers good visual contrast, and is very robust for problem-free pressroom handling. On press, it features high chemical resistance even under difficult printing circumstances.
Plate imaging is 100 per cent digital. No chemical or processing parameters affect the printing image after the violet laser has written it. Agfa Graphics expects the new plate to offer the same high stability as its thermal chemistry-free plate: Azura, which is already in use with well over 700 printers.
Enhanced software and full integration increase prepress productivity
:ApogeeX 3.0 is the latest version of Agfa’s workflow management software and it too got its first public viewing at IPEX. It offers users connectivity enhancements for easy integration with non-Agfa workflows, as well as many different ways to further automate prepress tasks. Using industry standards JDF (Job Definition Format) and JMF (Job Messaging Format), :ApogeeX determines how jobs should be processed and reports back progress for cost-calculation purposes.
Agfa Graphics used the opportunity of IPEX to announce that its :ApogeeX prepress production software will support Adobe’s PDF Print Engine technology. Agfa Graphics has worked with Adobe since the conception of the new technology to ensure that it can be seamlessly integrated into :ApogeeX, thereby protecting the investments of customers.
Agfa has been a strong partner with Adobe since the early days of PDF and JDF, and views the move forward with Adobe and adoption of the PDF Print Engine as major steps forward for its market leading workflow :ApogeeX and :Delano project management system.
The Adobe PDF Print Engine is a component that fits perfectly into the modular :ApogeeX architecture. After the process of integration with other :ApogeeX components and third-party software packages, the system will be subjected to an extensive beta programme before final release. :ApogeeX customers will be offered a software upgrade programme to benefit from the PDF Print Engine when available.
Agfa also showed new enhancements to its JDF powered Project Management software :Delano. With :Delano 2.6, Agfa Graphics launches a new and improved version of the system. :Delano has been installed in dozens of sites across the world and is receiving rave reviews from users. One of its most salient new features is :Delano WebApproval 2.6, which enables users to proofread, mark up and approve high-resolution production files in a standard web browser in real-time.
Other than softproofing, :Delano 2.6 uses JDF to increase connectivity to the :ApogeeX 3.0 workflow software and to various MIS (Management Information Systems) from other vendors. This was evident on the Agfa booth with co-operation shown between Agfa and a range of MIS vendors that included Hi-Flex and Optimus.
Agfa also unveiled a new and fully integrated digital proofing portfolio. Showing how modules of :ApogeeX production software, :Delano project management and :SherpaProof proofing software can work in tandem to handle any combination of soft or hard-copy proofs, remote proofing, content or contract proofs and even halftone proofs.
Growing Industrial Inkjet Assortment
Leveraging Agfa’s unmatched distribution network, Agfa’s Bruce Lowery also made the trip to Birmingham to see first hand Agfa’s innovations for this market segment. Lowery was excited about the continuous progress of the technology.
“Agfa announced last year that owing to its versatility, industrial inkjet technology would be its chosen path for digital printing applications including wide-format, screen, banner, display, label and package printing. I can see here at IPEX their technical vision has become reality,” said Lowery.
:Anapurna assortment expanded
Two new models were added to Agfa Graphics’ :Anapurna assortment of wide-format inkjet presses. At Fespa in May last year, :Anapurna 100 was demonstrated for a wide range of high-volume industrial printing applications onto flexible and rigid media. The strategic development of this very high-end quality technology is on track and will be perfected according to plan.
For customers in the same applications, Agfa Graphics will show :Anapurna L and XL at Ipex. Both models print on rigid and flexible media using Agfa’s UV-curable :Anapurna ink. Maximum print width is 1600 mm for :Anapurna L and 2500 mm for :Anapurna XL. Their Dual-Mode System enables fast printing of two half-sized media simultaneously. Maximum output is 22 poster-quality 70x100 cm sheets per hour using :Anapurna L; and 30 using :Anapurna XL.
:Dotrix press gets modular
Agfa’s recent acquisition of Dotrix has resulted in a newer generation version of what was once known as the dot-factory. Relaunched as :Dotrix the new :Dotrix Modular can be fitted with a pre-station for precoating, or for printing white across the engine’s full 63 cm-width surface. This can be solid white using the anilox roller, or an imaged flexo printing plate can be mounted on the system.
Post-printing modules include varnishing, die cutting and finishing. Agfa Graphics will configure :Dotrix with any or all of these modules at the time of manufacturing according to precise needs of customers in non-food packaging, label printing and point-of purchase applications.
For transactional printing applications such as annual reports, invoices, stationery, Agfa signed a deal with an unnamed customer in the UK for four duplex versions of the :Dotrix press with double-sided printing capabilities.
:Grand Sherpa Universal
Also shown for the first time was a bulk ink feed system called :ABISS :for the :Grand Sherpa Universal 90-AM and 65-AM wide-format printers. “Agfa’s Grand Sherpa Universals have enjoyed great customer acceptance and with recent innovations our users report excellent print quality with Agfa’s fourth-generation AM inks,” said Lowery