True to tradition, Agfa Graphics created a state-of-the art printed calendar for its VIP relations. This time, though, the calendar does not only stand out through its stunning combination of unique photography, creative design, supreme print quality and vivid enhancement techniques. The printed pages are also brought to life through augmented reality.

The 2016 Agfa Graphics Calendar is titled ‘A Year of Tempting Plates’, referring both to the company’s printing plates and to the calendar’s subject matter, as it features twelve delicious dishes. The recipes for these dishes were sent in by the company’s employees from around the globe in a contest looking for favorite local food. The twelve winning dishes were refined by a top chef, as well as photographed and filmed. The dishes embellish the pages of the calendar, while the full recipes can be found in the cookbook accompanying it.

Power of Print
As a leading graphic industry provider, Agfa Graphics made its 2016 Calendar into a fine sample of the Power of Print, using a number of different state-of-the art printing techniques and materials. All prepress work for the 2016 edition was done using the company’s prepress solutions, including Apogee workflow software, Azura chemistry-free plates, Avalon platesetter, and Sublima screening software. The calendar was printed on a selection of high-quality papers from Igepa—except for the colophon page, which was printed on Agfa’s in-house developed and produced Synaps material.

Every page stands out through its design and the high-quality prepress make-ready, as well as through the use of extraordinary inks such as metallic or fluorescent ones, and in some cases even the complementary use of silk screen printing.

Print brought to life
This time, there is more to the Agfa Graphics calendar than meets the eye at first sight. The pages are enhanced with the help of augmented reality (AR) software. This means that a making-of video will start playing when scanning the cover of the calendar with the Agfa Graphics AR app on a tablet or smartphone. When scanning the different pages of the calendar or cookbook, readers/viewers will get to see twelve instructional cooking movies, helping them to execute the recipes.

Each month, a new recipe including an instructional movie will be uploaded onto www.agfagraphics.com/calendar. The month of January with a Brazilian recipe for Manjar de Coco, is already available now.

Previous editions of Agfa Graphics’ VIP Calendar won awards in different countries, including the ‘Audience Award’ in the prestigious Dutch 'Kalenderwedstrijd' (calendar contest), and the silver award in the prestigious Gold Ink Awards from Printing Impressions magazine (USA).

Read more on www.agfagraphics.com/calendar.