Mortsel, Belgium - Agfa Graphics today announced the launch of a new 4-up violet chemistry-free CtP system, designed to help small- to mid-size commercial printers eliminate plate production errors, reduce waste and water usage, and lower maintenance requirements.

The full system includes an :Avalon V4 CtP engine (36 pph at 1200dpi with 175 lpi), :Azura V (violet) chem-free plates and a dedicated clean-out unit (:VCF85). Existing photopolymer processors can be adapted to serve as clean-out units, making Agfa's Azura V system a versatile, lower cost solution. The :Avalon V4 is available both in a semi-automatic as well as a daylight working fully automatic configuration.

The new chemistry-free system is ideal for commercial printers that use up to 10.000m²/year of plates on smaller presses (4-up) with jobs of 150lpi to 200lpi. It delivers high productivity and reliability at the quality level of 4-up thermal systems but at a significantly lower cost.

Because :Azura V plates are not chemically processed, all conventional processing variables are eliminated hence corresponding processing concerns and errors are excluded. This results in plate production with high stability. The :Azura V plates are cleaned out with gum and do not require extra rinsing water, yielding an improved ecological footprint.

"Our new violet chemistry-free CtP solution is based on Agfa's own photopolymer technology, proven in newspaper production. We wanted to bring the extraordinary success we had with this technology to the commercial printer. Agfa has been the world's leading developer of innovative and successful chemistry-free solutions, first in thermal technology and now in violet technology," said Marc Op de Beeck, senior vice president of Marketing and Sales, Agfa Graphics.