Opening the door to inkjet opportunity
The boundaries are blurring between businesses and technologies in the graphic arts. Printers who once confined themselves to offset have made the move into digital, opening up a new array of market opportunities. Now many commercial printers are exploring the next frontier – commercial inkjet.
For decades, Agfa has been the industry leader in pre-press solutions for the graphics-arts market, and a leader in computer-to-film and computer-to-plate systems. The solutions offered by Agfa include hardware, consumables, software and professional services, all coming from just one company. In recent years Agfa has continued to offer innovative products, which address the needs of its customers and enable them to improve their quality and increase their profitability. Testament to such innovation is Agfa's range of UV curable inkjet products which included the :Anapurna XLS and the :Anapurna Mv, both which made their debut at drupa last June.
It was at drupa that Steve and Karon Hough of Adelaide-based trade digital services supplier Print Graphics (http://www.printgraphics.tv/) first took a look at the :Anapurna Mv (picured below). The Mv model is unique in terms of application being the only machine currently on the market that can apply a UV varnish to a finished printed result. The ability to image full or spot varnishes means that additional services can be offered to printers who are already supplying varnished work using offset technologies. "Posters, point of sale, short-run packaging are all applications that can compliment existing offset services" said Steve Taylor Agfa's Business Manager for Inkjet Products. The Hough's immediately realised this market opportunity and committed to be the first Australian installation prior to the unit's official regional launch at next week's Visual Impact Image Expo show in Sydney. The Adelaide machine was commissioned last week, which marks a busy time for Agfa's inkjet service team, who will spend the majority of this week preparing samples and readying a second Mv for installation at the Darling Harbour show venue.
From analogue to digital
In recent years, during the digital transition that has transformed the graphic arts, Agfa has played a pioneering role in inventing and bringing to market industry-leading technologies. From laser developments in CTP to enterprise workflows and revolutionary chemical-free printing plates, it has consistently pushed the boundaries of what is possible.
So it comes as no surprise to learn that Agfa was one of the earliest developers of inkjet, recognising the potential of the often under-rated technology as the next phase of printing technology.
Capitalising on the value of its vast patent heritage, the company initially entered into a joint development project with UK-based Xaar, a pioneer in the development of inkjet printheads. Not content with the stock standard inkjet head, Agfa had its own advanced design elements incorporated and the resulting Agfa-patented inkjet heads provide an integral part of the overall imaging solution it is rolling out as the next phase of its inkjet evolution. Agfa is also partnering with Konica Minolta in the use of the KM512 MN printheads in a number of its :Anapurna wide-format inkjet printers.
Armed with all the elements, Agfa has staked its claim to the territory in the inkjet market where it can be most productive – UV. Under the guidance of its president, Stefaan Vanhooran, the company announced at drupa that its sights were set on "being market leader in UV inkjet." Turning away from the crowded solvent sector, it is determined to leverage its expertise in ink and substrate manufacturing along with its electronic capabilities to dominate its chosen sector.
Expanding the possibilities
In a few short years Agfa has delivered an impressive array of UV inkjet engines to follow through on its promise. All of them are designed to satisfy a particular application and all of them have in common the potential to expand the range of products that can be produced with UV inkjet.
The high-speed :Dotrix is a single-pass high-speed digital press designed for the promotional, label and packaging industries where it is enjoying great success. It is also currently being employed to print newspapers in Spain, an indication of the versatility of the Agfa inkjet designs.
Meanwhile, the powerful industrial :M-Press is finding wide acceptance among screen printers and sign makers. This is a innovative high-speed flatbed inkjet press that uses Agfa's expertise in digital imaging and inkjet technology in combination with industry leader Thieme's expertise in media handling and screen printing. The :M-Press is fully automated, provides very accurate reproduction of full and spot colour images, and handles both rigid and flexible substrates.
The :Anapurna range of inkjet printers is also finding its way into the Australian and New Zealand industries with over 20 installed in the region, many in commercial printing companies. The :Anapurna M inkjet engines are designed as wide-format industrial systems for indoor and outdoor sign and displays. These UV-curable engines are recognised for quality printing on a wide variety of substrates, from uncoated rigid materials such as wood or heavy plastic to roll media for poster and signage production. They use state-of-the art 14 picolitre printheads and Agfa-made UV-curable :Anapurna ink to make photo-quality UV technology available to printers, screen printing and sign making shops at an affordable investment cost.
The :Anapurna's popularity among commercial printers is something Garry Muratore, marcom manager Asia Pacific, does not find it particularly surprising.
"It's about having extra flexibility in what you offer your customers. With the :Anapurna, a printer can expand the type of products he is able to supply. Its about developing different services," he said.
To make the point, he highlights a printer in last year's federal election who went from printing flyers on his offset presses to customising inkjet produced party posters with targeted messages for every polling booth. By election's end, the :Anapurna was doing most of the commercial work.
Hitting the sweet spot
The next step in expanding the versatility of the range is the addition of UV inkjet varnish in the :Anapurna Mv. With two extra varnish printheads, the Mv completes the wish list for commercial printing customers wanting to deliver a complete imaging service. The first installation of the innovative press is already underway in South Australia to a commercial printing company that has an expanded list of tasks already in mind for the machine. Other printers will be able to get a close look at the :Anapurna Mv when it makes its regional debut at the Visual Impact Image expo in Sydney this month.
According to Steve Taylor, business manager inkjet systems, (pictured) the :Anapurna MV will open new doors of opportunity for customers.
"The great part of inkjet technology is that it is a non-contact printing system. And with UV inks it can print on practically anything. To demonstrate just how versatile it is, at the Sydney show we'll be printing on doors!"
Fancy an image of their favourite footy star for the kid's bedroom door? No worries. Get along to the Agfa booth and see them being produced.
:Anapurna's print quality means it can deliver photo-realistic printing on any surface with a print resolution of 720 x 1440 dpi up to 158cm wide. Now the Mv takes it one step further with the ability to varnish the image overall, or highlight the design with spot varnish, and because it is UV-dried the products are ready to use straight away.
"The list of potential applications is huge," said Taylor. "Commercial printers are turning out high quality prints in applications such as posters, billboards, fleet displays, POS and POP displays, exhibition panels, stage graphics, construction announcements and advertising panels ... the list goes on.
"The :Anapurna is the digital printing engine that can really expand a printer's business. It is going to change the way the industry sees digital inkjet."