At a pre-drupa press conference hosted in its headquarters in Belgium, Agfa Graphics unveiled its plans for the upcoming drupa show in Düsseldorf. Agfa Graphics President Stefaan Vanhooren: “Print and print technology continue to play a crucial role despite the digitization of our daily lives. Print volumes undoubtedly suffer in particular areas and applications (e.g. newspapers, magazines and some commercial jobs), yet they are still growing in packaging, wide-format and industrial applications, as well as in the emerging economies, generating plenty of business opportunities. And even in mature printing markets and regions, our innovative thinking and solutions enable our customers to always stay ahead. As a leading player with a truly global footprint in the print markets, we invite visitors to drupa with the slogan ‘We Embody Print’, underlining our commitment to both the offset printing and the wide-format printing industry, while also opening doors to new print markets and applications in need of innovative solutions.”

At drupa 2016, Agfa Graphics will present an overview of its product portfolio including following new products: In the field of offset printing, Agfa Graphics focuses on transforming technology into sustainable solutions that create value for its customers. The environmental impact of these solutions is an important factor, yet Agfa Graphics is taking this one step further by adding total cost of operations and convenience to the equation. ECO3 stands for Eco-friendly, Economic and Extremely Convenient.

“With the introduction of the Azura printing plate in 2004, we pioneered chemistry-free prepress solutions; we are still the industry leader,” explained Joan Vermeersch, Vice President Technology, Marketing & Business Development Prepress. “In the meantime, we also keep improving conventional systems to become more ECO3.” Recent improvements for chemistry-free applications include the Attiro VHS clean-out unit with the N95-VCF (violet chemistry-free) printing plates for the newspaper industry, the new Azura TU VLF chemistry-free plates for very large-format offset applications in combination with the new Azura CX150 clean-out unit, and the Azura TE direct-on-press plates, that feature image contrast as well as daylight stability and fast roll-up, and thus offer a tremendous advantage when going on press.

For drupa, Agfa Graphics also adds the Avalon N8-90 CtP to its family of thermal computer-to-plate systems, and the new Energy Elite Eco printing plate. With a best-in-class run length for no-bake positive thermal plates, the latter is both mechanically and chemically compatible with today’s needs in sheetfed and heatset applications. Also new on the booth will be the pallet loader for the high-end, automated Advantage newspaper CtP systems, and the Advantage N Essentials CtP series, which takes computer-to-plate technology for newspaper printers back to its essence while providing equal user-friendliness and reliability.

All Jeti and Anapurna wide-format solutions are designed in accordance with Agfa Graphics’ “matched components approach”. The Anapurna roll-to-roll and hybrid solutions will be driven by the Asanti workflow at the booth. So will the versatile Jeti Mira with the unique dockable roll-to-roll option and the highly productive Jeti Tauro, now for the first time in a ¾ automation line-up including the new automatic board feeder and unloading unit.

“We continue developing the common Jeti platform with the quality and productivity demands of sign & display printing companies in mind,” said Dominiek Arnout, Vice President Inkjet, Agfa Graphics. “Users get the most out of our wide-format systems thanks to the tight integration with the Asanti workflow. Now, with the automation features added, the entire printing process is fully streamlined to deliver maximum productivity.”

The new Acorta 3120 HD, targeted at very thick or dense materials, completes the Acorta family of cutting plotters. “Cloud printing is one of the hottest trends in the industry,” said Andy Grant, Global Head of Software, Agfa Graphics. “As we can boast our own data centers and our dedicated managed services department, we have a unique position in offering cloud solutions with the highest possible data security. Customers benefit from cloud solutions in terms of working capital, energy consumption, space requirements, maintenance and service cost, while they are always up-to-date with the latest workflow version.”

Besides the new Apogee 10 and Arkitex Production 2.0, Agfa Graphics announced PrintSphere, offering print service providers a cloud-based solution for online data exchange. PrintSphere provides a standardized way to send and receive files including secure back-ups of production databases, all seamlessly integrated with the Apogee, Arkitex and Asanti workflow software.

One of the most outspoken trends in the printing industry is the growth of the packaging and label sector. Today, Agfa Graphics is active in packaging with its offset plates, and serves certain areas with flexo plates through distributors. At drupa 2016, Agfa Graphics will be present at the visionary Touchpoint Packaging in hall 12 with technology and software solutions for future packaging design, production, authentication and customization or personalization: Arziro Design, a state-of-the-art plugin for Adobe IllustratorÒ to create counterfeit-proof artwork, and Arziro Authenticate, a unique and powerful hybrid authentication and track & trace solution; A range of functional ink technologies for new smart packaging applications.

UV-ink technology, with its ability to print on a wide range of substrates, opens up opportunities for wide-format printing companies in the field of industrial applications. In addition, industry players recognize the technical possibilities of Agfa Graphics’ wide-format systems and start installing them in their own production halls.

Now that industry integrators show interest, Agfa Graphics gives them access to printing technology such as ink and software, acting as a partner to integrate print in manufacturing by leveraging its know-how on fluids like inks, primers, white and varnish. The use of low-migration inks in the food packaging markets has already created attractive possibilities for packaging applications. Multiple opportunities present themselves with regard to flooring, decoration or bottling, as well as in the automotive industry, or when it comes to glass or metal printing.

With its Eversify mobile content publishing software, Agfa Graphics addresses magazine and newspaper publishers that seek a solution to diversify their content to a wide range of devices (smartphones, tablets) at any moment of the day – in an automated way. The SaaS solution can be integrated in any editorial, content management or InDesignÒ-based layout system. Eversify creates a world of possibilities for more interactive and engaging reader communication.