Mortsel, Belgium - 17 February 2003 - Agfa released its hybrid screening solution, Sublima, for all of its platesetters for commercial printing applications. Sublima is an advanced screening technology that combines two proven screening technologies-Agfa Balanced Screening (ABS) and frequency modulated (FM) screening-to achieve full contone reproduction on press. Optimised Output from Agfa Platesetters Sublima optimises output with Agfa's visible-light Galileo (green and violet), Palladio (violet), and Xcalibur 45 and VLF thermal platesetters with Grating Light Valve(tm) (GLV(tm)) technology from Silicon Light Machines(tm). With Sublima screening, printers do not need to change anything on press to get higher quality output. Sublima also lets printers use their current Apogee workflow to produce maximum quality results on every job. It delivers screen rulings from 210 lpi to 340 lpi, depending on the device. "Results in the sites using Sublima have been very successful. Both the quality of the printed result and Sublima's ease of use have surprised the beta testers," said Paul Adriaensen, worldwide marketing manager, screening technology. "Agfa's hybrid screening technology allows for a tremendous enhancement in the detail reproduction in print without changes in the prepress or press room. This is a considerable benefit to printers looking to improve quality with minimal effort and expense." Guido Maes is a printer based in Gent, Belgium and a beta site for Sublima. The company produces quality-critical catalogues for top European fashion houses. "Sublima actually makes the interaction between prepress and press more stable and profound," said Katrien Maes, managing director. "It delivers the finest detail in high-density subjects, in a way we could never achieve before." About Agfa's Sublima A hybrid screening technology, Sublima renders very fine details on regular stock at moderate imaging resolutions. It achieves contone reproduction for highly dynamic images. Sublima delivers 1 to 99 percent dots on the plate and the printed sheet. In the mid-tones, Sublima uses Agfa Balanced Screening (ABS), Agfa's popular AM (amplitude modulated) screening solution. Then it automatically responds to the highlights and shadows by smoothly transitioning to a special Agfa-patented FM-screening technique. As a result, Sublima consistently maintains the full 1 to 99 percent tonal range throughout the print run-a major improvement over all previous-generation screening methods. Sublima does not require any changes in the printing process. Higher screen rulings-210 lpi to 340 lpi-are delivered without extra effort to maintain highlight and shadow details. In addition, the RIP calibrates the system and automatically compensates for the differences in dot gain. Agfa Sublima operates at 2400 dpi and requires no additional RIPping time.