Turnkey Solution Provides Highest Quality, Speed And Flexibility Of Any Inkjet System On The Market Ridgefield Park, New Jersey – March 11, 2002 – Agfa will introduce the Grand Sherpa Poster Printing System at IPEX, April 9-17, 2002 in Birmingham, England, U.K. The turnkey system includes one of three Grand Sherpa large-format inkjet printers (50, 64, 87-inches), Onyx PosterShop 5.6 and a new advanced-formula AgfaJet inkjet media. The complete system delivers the highest quality, fastest speed and greatest versatility of any system in the Grand Sherpa’s class and price range. The Grand Sherpa represents Agfa’s new generation piezo-electric inkjet printers. It offers true 1440 x 1440 dpi resolution, the capacity for up to eight multi-density inks and variable dot size. Up to six different drop sizes including a 5 picoliter drop heightens quality at any resolution by enabling fine detail rendering and greater sharpness. The Grand Sherpa can print up to 40 sq. meters per hour at 360 x 360 dpi in a 2 x CMYK color configuration. Or it can print up to 12 sq. meters per hour at 720 x 720 dpi, making it the fastest machine in its price class. The Grand Sherpa has a built-in hard drive. Files can be RIPped to the hard drive buffer and put in queue for printing at a later time, so there is no interference with engine speed. The Grand Sherpa was designed for application flexibility. It prints with either dye or pigment-based inks in either 2 x CMYK (eight inks) or 1 x CMYKcm (c= light cyan, m= light magenta) (six inks) color configuration. The 2 x CMYK can be one set of pigment inks and one set of dye-based inks. In this configuration the user can switch between dye and pigment inks without having to clean the machine in between. Using 2x CMYK of one type of ink (dye or pigment-based) increases output speed. Onyx PosterShop 5.6 Agfa bundles the latest version of the market-leading poster printing RIP Onyx PosterShop with the Grand Sherpa. The PosterShop Agfa Edition includes Agfa drivers for Grand Sherpa. It also includes Agfa profiles for all AgfaJet media on most commercially available printers. With a redesigned user interface, PosterShop 5.6 provides a user-friendly print queue, simplified workflow, job thumbnail and nesting previews, tiling and improved print controls. Agfa also offers Onyx ProductionHouse Agfa Edition, which provides support for four active printers for simultaneous printing and RIPping. ProductionHouse also includes Step & Repeater for pattern tiling. AgfaJet Media Agfa rounds out its Poster Printing Solution with a wide range of AgfaJet Print Media. Users may choose from a variety of media developed and manufactured by Agfa to meet the specific demands of poster printing. Fast drying characteristics, durability and rich color performance enhance not just output from the Grand Sherpa but improve output quality on any non-Agfa piezo or thermal printing system already in use. They can be used with pigment or dye-based inks. AgfaJet UIPP: Universal Instant-dry Photograde Paper is based on macro-porous technology: ceramic particles with tiny pores that absorb ink instantly. As a result, the media dries instantly, which is essential for fast, unattended printing. The material can be finished and laminated immediately after printing. Satin or Glossy finish, 185 gr/m2. AgfaJet UFF: Universal Frontprint Film (with macro-porous technology for instant drying). Because it is compatible with pigment based inks, the film can remain in light boxes long-term without noticeable fading. AgfaJet Premium Vinyl (with macro-porous technology for instant drying) is a self-adhesive water-resistant material that can be used for indoor and outdoor applications. AgfaJet POP is a cast-coated water-resistant paper. Glossy finish, 175 gr/m2. AgfaJet UPP: Universal Photograde Paper. This material is based on a polymer-blend formula. Satin or glossy finish, 165 gr/m2 AgfaJet Universal backlit film (compatible with piezo-electric and thermal printers) dries faster than other backlit materials Agfa’s backlit material offers higher color saturation for more powerful color display. Fast drying allows easy handling for greater productivity. Agfa offers additional art and canvas papers as well as lower cost coated papers. See www.agfa.com/graphics "Poster Printing" under "Areas of interest" for more information. The Agfa Grand Sherpa Poster Printing Solution is available for immediate delivery.