Horseshoe Press Honored as 200th Member of Agfa Graphics’ GreenWorks

CHICAGO—Oct. 7, 2012—Agfa Graphics (booth #627) celebrates the 200th member of GreenWorks, the program that recognizes customers who demonstrate their commitment to the environment while promoting environmentally-responsible technology, products and practices within the graphic arts industry.

The 200th GreenWorks member is Horseshoe Press, owned by Dickey Tam, a commercial printer in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

In addition to using Agfa Graphics’ :Azura TS chemistry-free plates to produce its products, Horseshoe Press believes it has a responsibility to manage its use of resources and has earned both the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) Chain of Custody Certification and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) Certification. As part of its mission to be an industry leader on environmental issues, the company switched to :Azura TS plates back in 2009. As with other environmentally-friendly initiatives the company has undertaken, Horseshoe Press has been able to save resources and expand its client base.

“We switched to Agfa’s chem-free plates as part of an environmental initiative,” said Dickey Tam, owner of Horseshoe Press. “Our intent was to become a good role model for the community by making an investment in the environment. As a result, not only did we save money in chemical costs and recycling hauling fees but we were able to appeal to a completely new customer.

“We added new accounts because of our ’green’ commitment and this continues to make us stand out. We are excited to be the 200th winner of the Greenworks Award and look forward to utilizing it to further publicize our programs,” added Tam.

The GreenWorks program, which recognizes and honors printers that integrate, support and promote environmentally sound practices in their facilities, expanded earlier this year to include users of Agfa Graphics’ newest eco-friendly printing plates, :Azura Vi and :N94-VCF.

“Agfa Graphics is proud to recognize the 200 printers throughout North America who have been honored by the GreenWorks program. We are eager to partner with those organizations that are taking steps to reduce waste, save natural resources and promote sustainability,” said Dave Carey, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Prepress, Agfa Graphics North America. “Congratulations to Horseshoe on this milestone.”

To become a member of GreenWorks printers must use one of the following eco-friendly plates:

• :Azura TS - market-leading chemistry-free plate based on Agfa’s Thermofuse technology suitable for most commercial applications with run lengths up to 100,000 impressions
• :Amigo TS - award winning low-chemistry plate based on Agfa’s Thermofuse technology for commercial applications with run lengths up to 250,000 impressions
• :Energy Elite / Pro - high speed, high quality thermal, no-bake plates suitable for commercial applications up to 350,000 - 400,000 impressions
• :Azura Vi - the first violet photopolymer chemistry-free plate for commercial applications with run lengths up to 150,000 impressions
• :N94-VCF - industry leading chemistry-free violet photopolymer plate for newspaper production with run lengths up to 200,000 impressions

Printers must also promote cleaner and more efficient printing practices and be involved in eco-friendly efforts such as recycling, waste reduction programs or use of alternative energy sources in their facilities.

About Agfa Graphics
Agfa Graphics offers integrated prepress solutions to the printing industry. These solutions comprise consumables, hardware, software and services for production workflow, project and color management. Agfa Graphics is a worldwide leader with its computer-to-plate and digital proofing systems for commercial and packaging printing and the newspaper publishing markets.

Source: Agfa.