New Zealand daily newspaper printer picks Agfa CTP

The move to fully-digital newspaper production is a first for printing a daily newspaper in New Zealand and, because of its close proximity to the international dateline, Printcorp's is the first newspaper CTP device to go in to action as each day dawns. The installation is also a milestone for Agfa - the Advantage is its first in the southern hemisphere.

Printcorp is part of the APN News and Media publishing group, responsible for producing two daily broadsheet newspapers as well as its 40 to 50 other weekly print jobs. Included with Printcorp's new CTP pre-press system is the latest Advantage DL platesetter and Arkitex automated workflow software.

The Advantage platesetter features violet imaging technology coupled with its safe, low-cost and heavily customisable functionality, and has allowed Printcorp a 30 per cent increase in production. The Arkitex software integrates equipment and production tasks, as well as employing advanced communication technologies like PDF, JDF for data transmission.

Printcorp general manager, George Murcott, claims the motivation behind the decision to trade traditional printing methods for computer-to-plate production was its clear financial advantages. “It is very hard to ignore the rapid return this choice offers to the business. The efficiencies of CTP speak volumes to a daily newspaper, providing opportunities to extend deadlines that can be used to capture more up-to-date news, or alternatively, extend the selling period.”

Murcott also has praise for the ease in which the CTP system was integrated into Printcorp's operations. “The process is simple, reliable and backed by strong technical support. The Advantage system meets our requirements, and has almost halved our production times.”

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