Ridgefield Park, NJ – October 4, 2006 – Agfa Graphics announced today that The Island Packet of Bluffton, South Carolina has purchased two :Advantage DL violet platesetters with :Arkitex NewsDrive for a soon-to-be-complete state-of-the-art production center. Both The Island Packet, with a daily circulation of 18,000, and its sister publication, The Beaufort Gazette of Beaufort, South Carolina, with a circulation of 12,000, will be printed in the new 50,000 square-foot facility. The dailies, owned by the McClatchy Company based in Sacramento, California, will be among the first newspapers in the McClatchy corporate family to make a major change to computer-to-plate technology. "We did quite a bit of research into all the different CtP vendors. One decision we wanted to make early on was whether to go with thermal or violet light platesetting. I saw Agfa's :Advantage DL platesetter at NEXPO 2006 and in operation at another major daily paper in the south. That helped us make our decision," said William King, production director for both newspapers. "Agfa was the only vendor that offered the complete solution we needed, with the speed and quality we wanted. Once up and running, we expect our advertisers will see an improvement in quality, color and overall appearance." In addition, once the :Advantage DL is on line, both papers will use Agfa's :N91v negative-working aluminum plates, noted for delivering excellent results for long-run production with violet-laser systems. The Island Packet also prints many supplements and is currently planning to add commercial work once the new facility is completed in the fall of 2006. "Agfa's :Advantage's reliable violet-laser diode has a 10-year lifespan, and its simple design requires less maintenance, keeping costs and downtime to a minimum while increasing quality and productivity," said Sheila Nysko, Agfa's business development manager, Newspaper Systems, North America. "The Island Packet has placed first many times in the South Carolina Press Association newspaper awards competition and we look forward to contributing to that success for many years to come."