Leipzig, Germany – IFRA, 17 October 2005 – Agfa's Graphic Systems, a worldwide leader in newspaper prepress solutions, announced a five-year strategic alliance with The New York Times Company. The alliance makes Agfa the preferred supplier of complete workflow software solutions and violet CtP equipment to The New York Times Company. The agreement covers all of The New York Times Company's newspaper properties, including The New York Times, International Herald Tribune (IHT), The Boston Globe, and The Regional Media Group. With this new, enhanced relationship, an expansion of a previous three-year alliance on consumables, Agfa and The New York Times Company will collaborate to identify and share information on industry trends, needs, challenges and technology innovations, enabling both to master current and future needs. The first of the systems being purchased under the agreement is a complete :Arkitex transmission system, Courier, replacing the company's current technology. The arrangement also includes 20 :Advantage violet CtP systems, to be installed in various locations around the United States. "After an extensive search, it was clear that Agfa offered the most intelligent solution for our business. Agfa's :Arkitex Courier, technology will replace our current system and will help in the distribution of the pages of The New York Times to the company's U.S. printing plants," said David Thurm, chief information officer, The New York Times Company. "This will give us the opportunity for the future expansion of our production capabilities and increased value for our customers," said Marc Kramer, senior vice president for circulation, The New York Times. Among the 20 new violet CtP systems that The New York Times Company is purchasing are four of Agfa's newest violet CtP system, the :Advantage Xs, which The New York Times Company will be the first to use. The rest of the systems will be a combination of fully-automatic and semi-automatic :Advantage violet CtP systems. The :Advantage systems will be installed at the majority of The New York Times Company's sites in the United States. } "This alliance establishes Agfa as The New York Times Company's preferred solutions provider," said Stefaan Vanhooren, Agfa's Graphic Systems president, worldwide. "Agfa is committed to providing new opportunities for business growth to leading newspapers across the world. The New York Times' recognition of Agfa exemplifies the leading role that we have earned with dedicated workflow solutions, violet CtP technology and professional services."