Agfa extends range of UV inks

From Labels and Labeling

With the growth in single-pass piezo-electric inkjet technology requiring robust specialist UV-curable inks, Agfa is extending its range of Agora and Altamira inks. Already established in the document and packaging sectors, these inks have now also been formulated for use in industrial applications, with major printhead manufacturers partnering with Agfa to bring new opportunities to the digital market.

Agfa’s UV-curable inks are now available for system integrators, OEMs, industries etc in a variety of different formulations, researched and developed for specific market sectors and printhead integration.

The line of Agora and Altamira inks is composed of industrial inks targeted to many specific applications, including marking and coding, transpromotional printing, object and decoration printing, label printing, packaging printing, and a wide variety of other industrial applications. 

‘Accurate droplet size with outstanding sharpness and color accuracy is complemented by lowest overall consumption and the ability to generate very fast throughput speeds that exceed 100m/min and guarantee superior adhesion across a wide range of materials and surfaces,’ said the company in a statement.

Agfa Graphics Launches :Advantage N HS Platesetters for High-Volume Newspaper Printers

High-production systems hit speeds of 350 plates per hour, helping publishers extended editorial and advertising deadlines without sacrificing quality

Agfa Graphics today introduced two new high-speed platesetters for the high-volume newspaper market. The :Advantage N PL HS (Pallet Load, High-Speed) and the :Advantage N TR HS (Trolley Load, High-Speed) both run at speeds up to 350 plates per hour, 50 plates more than the :Advantage N. :Advantage N PL will be available for demonstrations at the Agfa Graphics stand at drupa (Düsseldorf, Germany May 3 – 16, Hall 8A).

The :Advantage N PL HS, a completely new design, can hold up to 6,000 plates in a fully-automatic setting - two pallets of 3,000 plates each. The system employs a unique and patented process that pre-separates the plates and slip sheets in the plate stack before plate loading. Regardless of temperature fluctuations, RH issues or long storage periods, the pre-separation process avoids plate and paper jams due to plates or slip sheets sticking together in a plate stack. Agfa's patented auto slip sheet removal process offers less downtime with no paper jams and an efficient procedure for emptying the slip sheet into the "dump area."

The :Advantage N TR HS features a trolley to transport plates from safe light environment to the CtP imager. This gives customers who cannot switch to yellow safelight in the room where the CtP device is installed, the flexibility to more easily and efficiently load the plates in a separate yellow safelight environment. 

"With these new systems, Agfa Graphics again shows its commitment to the newspaper industry by offering state-of-the-art CtP technology that meets the requirements of the premium level newspaper market segment. Like all segments in the newspaper industry, the high-volume segment is also looking for improved production efficiency, cost savings and automation. With Agfa Graphics, newspaper publishers have a company with expertise in hardware, complete workflow solutions and consumables, covering the entire pre-press production area," said Emiel Sweevers, marketing manager for Newspaper Engines, Agfa Graphics, worldwide. "Agfa Graphics' goal is to continue to develop solutions that enable our customers to effectively meet the current market challenges head-on and win."

The :Advantage N PL HS and the :Advantage N TR HS will be shipping at the end of the third quarter. 
Thanks to the increased speed, both systems can extend newspaper publishers' editorial and advertising deadlines, giving them the ability to deliver the latest news and last-minute offers to their daily readers. The increased speed will also help newspaper publishers replace multiple, slower CtP engines with fewer, faster ones. This would result in savings on new CtP investments and other costs, such as processing equipment or punch and bending machines. Fewer CtP engines also results in increased floor space.

Museum of Lancashire given £1.7m revamp

By Brendan Perring

Noel Palmer says specialised graphic printing, rather than mass production, is the key to PPS’ success

The Museum of Lancashire has been given a make-over by wide-format sign and display specialist Palmer Publicity Services (PPS)—spending £1.7m on the full refurbishment.

“Business in general has been good this year, although we find the general trend from customers is ‘how cheap, can you do it?’. As with the litho print business, a lot of people also seem to be giving work away and wanting to work all hours for relatively nothing,” says proprietor Noel Palmer.
Using its Agfa Anapurna flatbed, solvent roll-to-roll printers, a HP Z6200 for high resolution graphics, routers and cutters, PPS created 100sq m of printed wallpaper for the a historical time line, archaeology displays and alcoves in the ‘Lancashire at work’  and ‘Lancashire at play’ galleries. More than 75sq m of the multiply was printed direct for the ‘Law and Order’, work and war galleries. A 60m long continuous strip of foamex was installed around the top of the trench in the WW1 exhibit to recreate a panoramic scene. And specialist printed acrylics, canvas map displays and an interactive magnetic display were created for other niche exhibits.

Agfa Graphics to show latest additions to :Anapurna family at Sign & Digital UK

Agfa Graphics will feature the two latest additions to its extensive range of :Anapurna wide-format printers at Sign & Digital UK 2012 on stand J30.

The new 2.54 x 1.54m :Anapurna M2540 FB makes its UK debut at Sign & Digital UK. It is designed to deliver exceptional value for money and has already received industry recognition. The M2540 FB is a dedicated flat-bed printer with a photo quality engine using :Anapurna UV six colours plus white inks. These inks ensure faster drying and produce a wider colour gamut, ideal for a variety of materials.
Also showing for the first time in the UK is the 2.05m :Anapurna M2050 which has quickly become a best seller as a highly cost-effective platform for companies wanting to produce top quality graphics. The 8-colour (CMYK Lc Lm, 2 x white) print heads cover virtually every possible application including coloured or dark substrates. Eight 12 picolitre heads guarantee printing of good solids with fine text reproduction as small as 6 pt, good tonal rendering and low ink consumption. Users also benefit from its UV-curable output and the ability to print direct to 2 x 3m rigid and 2m wide flexible materials.

Agfa Graphics' First :Anapurna M2540 FB in North America Goes to New Jersey Exhibit House

Agfa Graphics North America announced that the first :Anapurna M2540 FB in North America has been installed at Palumbo Associates, Inc. of Whitehouse Station, NJ. The :Anapurna M2540 FB is a true UV flatbed 6-color plus white inkjet system designed for printing on rigid substrates.
Palumbo Associates Inc., which has been in business since 1978, is a full service exhibit firm, specializing in the design and construction of custom and modular exhibits for trade shows, corporate showrooms and permanent installations. More than 30 years ago, when the company first started, the industry used silkscreen technology and photography. There were no computers. The world has changed a great deal since then, and Palumbo Associates has changed with the times, often jumping into new technologies first.
"We basically started with our own print production in 2005. We had farmed it out for years prior to that. Bringing the printing production in-house gave us control over the quality and other issues, such as how quickly a finished project can be delivered to a customer," said Gary Palumbo, owner, Palumbo Associates. "That's why we went with the :Anapurna M2540 FB. We do many creative projects that involve various substrates and the :Anapurna was the only true flatbed that could handle our demands. We made a faux iPhone on Plexiglas for our company's holiday card last year using the :Anapurna in Agfa's New Jersey demo center and our customers loved it. That's when we knew for sure the system was the one for us."
With a maximum print speed of 484 ft2/hr, the :Anapurna M2540 FB can print sizes of 8.3' x 5', with substrates up to 1.77" thick. The system's eleven retractable register pins simplify quick and accurate positioning, particularly when working on double-sided jobs.
The versatile :Anapurna M2540 FB is designed to accommodate small as well as large applications. This addresses the growing demand for niche output, such as the production of promotional goods and gifts, coasters and DVDs. The excellent adhesion of the UV ink and its fast and efficient curing means that glass, ceramics and wood can also be printed, making it suitable for architectural and interior décor as well as exterior signs and displays.
"This industrial printer is appealing to display producers, sign-makers and other market sectors driven by the need for high quality, durable, full-color output using UV-curable ink technology," said Deborah Hutcheson, director of Marketing, Agfa Graphics, North America. "All printing businesses need to save time, and the technology in the :Anapurna M2540 FB addresses a variety of workflow and production elements, providing users greater overall efficiency."
The :Anapurna M2540 FB's versatile vacuum bed and register pins were designed to guide jobs on and off quickly and easily. As a result, the :Anapurna M2540 FB simplifies working with rigid substrates that need to be completely stable during production, yet also permit quick change-overs. The system's powerful vacuum bed has two zones and each has four switchable compartments with a reverse airflow function for swift removal of finished prints and moving heavy substrates.

Might as well jump

Agfa UK along with Amari Digital Supplies, Graphic Printing Technologies, and Delta Display are supporting the Jump4London world record attempt to produce the world's longest photograph.

Written by Gareth Ward | 03 April 2012
Artist, designer and Inventor of the Year, Clare Newton, has had a dream of creating the world's longest photograph in time for the London Olympics and has been busy photographing thousands of children and adults from all walks of life across London, and will creatively combine the images to make a giant panoramic photograph over 1 kilometre in length, with everyone appearing to jump simultaneously.
The project has taken Clare around 18 months to put together so far, with around 5,000 ‘jumpers’, 87 events and 70,000 photographs. The final print will be a legacy for London to share. Here’s what she had to say about the project on the Agfa stand at the recent Sign & Digital UK 2012 show at the NEC.