AJ Images Grows 20% with Agfa Partnership

Agfa’s (Booth C8130) ECO³ software solution has been an important part of the company’s growth and success.

AJ Images is an award-winning, full-service, family-owned commercial printing company based in Roselle, NJ. Founded in 1967, the company offers personalized printing and binding services to a wide variety of customers.

A long-time user of Agfa’s Apogee Workflow software, AJ Images decided to make their print production even more cost-effective, ecological, and profitable. It implemented Agfa’s ECO³ program, including PressTune and InkTune . ECO³ focuses on three factors to achieve sustainable innovation: ecology, economy, and extra convenience.

More stability on press

InkTune integrates into the prepress workflow during the rendering process to apply GCR (grey component replacement) and replaces expensive CMY inks with more economical black ink. This technique also results in improved consistency, higher printing speeds, and faster drying times, improving quality while reducing environmental impact.

Aharon Greebel, VP at AJ Images, was first impressed by InkTune’s ability to create an ideal environment for applying GCR. “We are able to maintain stability on press more easily than the conventional four-color process. We have faster, more convenient makereadies, and it’s easier for the press operator to come to color, maintain grey balance, and sustain consistent color with InkTune,” he explains.

Print G7 standards consistently

To optimize color control, AJ Images also implemented PressTune, Agfa’s print standardization and audit tool. 

PressTune contains powerful analytic capabilities based on lab values obtained through spectrophotometer measurement tools. A score is then automatically calculated by PressTune, enabling the objective evaluation of printing jobs according to specific standards. This reduces inefficiencies by eliminating subjective evaluations. In addition, this unique tool ensures that jobs are consistently printed to ISO, G7, and client-specific specifications.

The application automatically displays print quality data collected directly from the press during manufacturing, enabling the press operator to assess quality and take action accordingly. PressTune’s capabilities help identify, diagnose, and address issues before they become problematic. Furthermore, prepress and pressroom managers can corroborate and update tonal curves based on overall trends, resulting in faster production and greater consistency.

More jobs completed in less time and with less waste

PressTune monitors CMYK and a library of spot colors, then guides press operators to make the appropriate adjustments to remain within tolerances as chemistry, paper, ink, or other variables change. This results in an average 25% reduction in paper waste.

“With PressTune, we are able to keep tighter color control and repeatability. It lets us know if we are running too much water or if the blankets are getting contaminated. It allows us to make quick determinations on a multitude of settings,” says Greebel.

Happy customers lead to 20% business growth

“Clients appreciate that we stay within dE2 for all PMS builds and PMS mixes,” states Greebel. “We’ve experienced 20% growth during the past 18 months.

“PressTune and InkTune have helped us produce more work with the same number of employees and within the same number of hours.”

Both AJ Images and Agfa recognize that success results from knowing the customer, understanding their needs, and exceeding their expectations. This focus has kept AJ Images customers returning for more than 27 years.