New solutions to help printers stay ahead during the challenging economy and plan for the future at Print 2009 Chicago

Ridgefield Park, NJ -- Agfa Graphics announced today that it will demonstrate an array of new products during Print '09 Chicago (Booth #2600, South Hall) to help printers stay ahead during today's challenging economy. Further impacting Agfa's Print '09 offering are the numerous industry reports that pinpoint automation, diversification, integration and sustainability as the key drivers of the industry going forward.  According to Peter Wilkens, President, Agfa Graphics, "We can't hunker down and hope this thing will blow over. Right now printers need more than hardware or software. They need partners that are committed to helping them identify practical solutions to address their concerns today. This includes ways to cut costs, reduce waste, protect their margins and better manage customer requests. We also have to help printers develop new business opportunities to ensure success once we get out of the downturn. This has been our goal all year and it will be reflected in our Print '09 offering."
 
The list of solutions at the Agfa booth (#2600, South Hall) will include:
 
Solutions for increased automation and integration
 
    •    :Apogee Suite 6.0 (first national demos) is an integrated, digital workflow solution that brings together a wide range of features, combining automation with process control of the entire workflow in real time, from a single drag-and-drop graphical user interface. The open architecture JDF-based software will showcase connectivity to other JDF based systems like Web-to-Print, MIS, Digital Presses and more. :Apogee v6.0 allows the import and conversion of different file formats into a PDF for controlled output to a web portal for soft approval, to a page or imposition proofing device, to a CtF or CtP imaging device, to a digital press, or export to another prepress system
 
    •    :Apogee Portal (featuring all new PageMaster) strengthens the communication and collaboration efforts between printers and their customers, allowing them to work together on projects and tasks and resulting in higher productivity, a shorter number of steps before printing, and reduced reworks and errors
 
    •    :Apogee InkSave - integrated and automated option that intelligently applies a high degree of Grey Component Replacement (GCR) to reduce the amount of ink used while maintaining a high quality color output. In addition to using up to 30% less ink, :Apogee InkSave provides greater grey balance control on press, faster drying times and better tolerance to mis-registration on press
 
    •    :Arkitex OptiInk - fully automated solution that processes PDF files and optimizes ink utilization in newspaper printing, offering the potential for significant ink savings while maintaining full quality print
 
    •    :Arkitex IntelliTune - image processing software for newspapers, reduces image processing time, improves quality and speeds time to press by eliminating time-consuming image correction
 
Sustainable solutions that help printers reduce costs and consumption of natural resources
 
    •    :Azura TS thermal plate uses a simple process via a clean-out unit (COU), making plates press-ready with no need for chemical processing. With :Azura TS water consumption and waste are considerably reduced
 
    •    The :Azura C95 COU has low energy requirements and a small footprint, providing further benefits for low-to-medium-volume commercial printers
 
    •    :Energy Elite (no-bake thermal plate) for peak production and long runs as well as  :N92-VCF (violet photo-polymer, chemistry-free plate) and :N92-V (long-run, no-bake violet photo-polymer plate) for newspaper production environments. Both help users reduce waste while maintaining quality
Solutions for increased productivity, efficiency with automation
 
    •    :Avalon N8-50 CtP system features GLV imaging head technology, uses 512 and 1024 beams to deliver between 24 and 50 B1 plates per hour in a fully automated CtP configuration. These precision imaging heads produce exceptional tonal accuracy and uniformity from corner to corner, plate to plate and job to job
 
    •    :Avalon N4 is a thermal platesetter that offers a convenient solution for the mid-size printer market for 4up and 6up applications. The :Avalon N4 has a maximum imaging speed of up to 21 4-up plates/hr and can produce thermal plates including Agfa's :Azura TS
Solutions to help printers diversify and create new business streams
 
    •    :Dotrix Modular (running live;  North American debut) - digital press that features high speed (80ft /min), unique width of 25.6 inches and expanded color gamut for  folding carton, flexible packaging, POP and industrial applications
 
    •    :Anapurna Mw (first time in North America) is an industrial UV inkjet printer that adds single pass pre-white and multi-pass post-white to the :Anapurna M series, creating new possibilities for printing on transparent material and backlit applications or printing white as a spot color.The :Anapurna Mw's unique vacuum strength-control system guarantees smooth transport at high speeds of a wide variety of substrates, including rigid and roll-to-roll media
 
    •    :Anapurna M2 is a heavy-duty industrial UV inkjet printer, designed to produce top quality output (up to 720 x 1440 dpi) on a wide range of rigid and roll-to-roll media. The :Anapurna M² offers the highest speed, quality and productivity of any printer in its class, producing high-quality poster output in six-color mode at 247 ft²/h.
 
    •    :Anapurna M4f is a 63" 4-color UV flatbed printing solution with roll-to-roll option that  provides maximum flexibility of applications at the most economical price. With print resolutions of 720 x 1440 dpi, the :Anapurna M4f delivers excellent photorealistic printing results for indoor and outdoor applications
 
    •    :M-Press TIGER,  a high-speed flatbed inkjet press co-developed by Thieme and Agfa featuring new printhead technology, auto head positioning and tuning. :M- Press TIGER can print 17,000 ft an hour
 
Print '09 attendees, the media and industry experts will also have the opportunity to learn about the newest enhancements to Agfa's portfolio of prepress and inkjet solutions at the Agfa Graphics News Conference on September 11, 2009 at 10:30am in McCormick Place Booth #2600, South Hall.