Agfa Graphics

Here’s an exclusive, PRE-SHOW PREVIEW showcasing new products submitted by many of the exhibitors that will be displaying their wares next month in Chicago. Colter & Peterson will showcase the BASA 3, which features an automatic jogging system that can automatically form layers of printed sheets, align them accurately and transport them to the subsequent cutting process. The BASA 3 is appropriate for paper from 16-lb. bond to 125-lb. tag, and is effective when combined with a modern, rear-table-feeding system. Existing gripper transport systems can be retrofitted. Visit www.piworld.com/infocenter: enter #377 MBO America will introduce the Super KTZ, featuring a knife-folding unit that

Group Visits KBA’s German Head­quarters RADEBEUL, GERMANY—KBA North America invited a select number of U.S. and Canadian printers, as well as industry journalists, to visit its headquarters and sheetfed press manufacturing facility here recently. The group was treated to a behind-the-scenes look at the factory assembly hall; the R&D facility; product demonstrations on the new-generation, 41˝ Rapida 105 five-over-five perfector press and the large-format, 56˝ Rapida 142 four-over-four perfector; and visits to several area printers that are utilizing KBA presses in sophisticated markets. Time was also spent sightseeing in Dresden and Leipzig. “Our open house in Germany provided printers with an in-depth education on

CHEMISTRY-FREE, processless or whatever they may be called, what matters is that digital plates with reduced processing requirements are gaining converts. Eliminating the cost and issues in dealing with chemistry, environmental concerns and space considerations are the top reasons cited by users for making the switch to reduced process plates. Printers using the leading versions of this plate technology tell remarkably similar stories. Along with reporting the same benefits, they’ve all come to one conclusion about plate costs. Even though these products generally have a higher per-plate price, their total cost of usage is the same or less because of the savings on chemistry,

Business requirements and customer demand dictate purchasing decisions For printers who need to protect the future of their businesses, direct digital output is the only option. That much is clear, but what is less clear is whether to choose computer-to-plate (CTP) technology or to invest in a Direct Imaging (DI) press, where the platesetter is built into an A3+ or B3 format press. The decision is not just a question of whether to buy a press with the platesetter built in, versus having a standalone CTP device. Now, more than ever, it is the applications that dictate investment preferences. Business requirements drive decision-making Talk

SEWICKLEY, PA—The PIA/GATF revealed the winners of the 2007 InterTech technology awards. Eleven of the 31 nominations were chosen to receive the prestigious awards. They are: Energy Elite dual layer “no bake” plate by Agfa Graphics; UV printing blanket refurbishment by Enviro Image Solutions; Fujifilm C-Fit image intelligence software; Kodak Traceless system by Eastman Kodak; font emulation in the Harlequin RIP, Global Graphics Software; Heidelberg Anicolor inking unit, Heidelberg USA; Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 105, Heidelberg USA; KBA Sensoric infeed system from KBA North America; Roland 700 DirectDrive from MAN Roland; the DeskPack 3-dx by Esko and the Oce VarioPrint 6250 digital printer by Oce North

SEWICKLEY, PA—July 18, 2007—Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2007 InterTech™ Technology Awards. For over a quarter of a century, recipients of this prestigious award have not only had a major impact on the graphic communications industry, but they also consistently prove to be successful in the commercial marketplace. The independent panel of judges deliberated over technology submissions ranging from printing presses to software solutions to ancillary services. A recurring theme with 2007 InterTech nominations was green printing, and numerous submissions contained solutions to minimize the environmental impact of printing. Great strides in technology were

MORTSEL, BELGIUM—10 July 2007—Agfa Graphics today announced that as part of its five-year strategic alliance with The New York Times Company it has completed the installation of Arkitex Courier and Arkitex Director. Together, Arkitex Courier and Director operate as an automated, single transmission and printing solution giving The New York Times newspaper a seamless workflow between its newsroom operations and printing facilities across the United States. Arkitex Courier, which is installed in the Times Square location, transmits all of The New York Times’ pages to 22 of its national print sites. A full disaster recovery system is installed at The Boston Globe, owned by

RIDGEFIELD PARK, NJ—May 23, 2007—Agfa Graphics announced today that as part of its commitment to education and research in the graphic communications industry, it has donated an ApogeeX 3.5 workflow management system and :Azura chemistry-free thermal plates to the Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) for the group to use in many of its popular and innovative programs. Agfa, an advocate of advanced research & development, continuous education, and creative growth, and a long-time supporter of PIA/GATF, has made many donations to the organization in the past. PIA/GATF is headquartered in Sewickley, Pennsylvania. “PIA/GATF is devoted to helping its members,

MAN Roland Hosts Printers for Press Premier OFFENBACH, GERMANY—The world premier of a “next generation” sheetfed printing platform isn’t an everyday occurrence, so MAN Roland extended its recent festivities to more than a week to allow for bringing in several groups of select printers, journalists and its own employees from around the globe. The stars of the show were HiPrint and DirectDrive versions of the new Roland 700 sheetfed printing platform. To make the most of the trip, the contingent from North America was additionally treated to tours of a local DirectDrive beta site, MAN Roland’s foundry and its manufacturing/assembly facilities for sheetfed presses.

NOT LONG after the close of Drupa 2004, the 2008 edition of the international printing exhibition was already being called the “ink-jet Drupa.” Upping the time frame, the title of a keynote panel at the just-completed On Demand Conference & Expo asked, “Is Ink-jet the Technology Story for 2007?” It should be clarified that both are references to color page printing in a production environment, and not wide-format or consumer photographic printing. For 2006, the big story in ink-jet printing was industrial printing applications. It seemed as if every vendor was talking about flatbed machines capable of printing on a wide range of substrates.