Annual Report 2002 - Agfa

”
Together with colleagues from HQ my engineering
team works very hard to get the Wuxi factory up
and running. I am convinced that the products
from this new plant will contribute to
strengthening Agfa’s position in the Asian
“
Pacific region.
Ma Liming,
Engineering Manager, China
1 |
3 |
In computer-to-plate equipment, Agfa’s Palladio platesetter enjoyed great success in 2002. It offers
small to medium-sized printing firms an automated, integrated computer-to-plate solution at an
affordable price, so that they can make the transition faster and with less risk. Since its launch at
the beginning of the year more than 200 units have been sold, strengthening Agfa’s position in the
4-up market.
In 2002, Agfa also introduced the Polaris X, a new generation of platesetters for newspapers.
This launch means a breakthrough for violet laser technology in the newspaper market, ensuring
high productivity and low costs. More than 500 systems in the Polaris family have already been
installed so far.
With the Xcalibur 45, a high-speed 8-up thermal platesetter, Agfa was the first to bring Grating
Light Valve technology to the market. GLV Technology was originally developed for use in
high-definition digital cinema or large-format displays. Its advantages include simplified
operation and a longer lifetime for the laser.
In digital inkjet proofing, Agfa expanded its range of solutions with the Sherpa 24M, a fully digital
contract proofing system (hardware, software and paper) for small and medium-sized printers and
with powerful software tools for colour quality and consistency management.
Workflow and project management
The transition from analogue to digital systems is accelerated by the trend towards shorter and
more targeted print runs, for example for direct mail or regional publications. As these different
editions result in more prepress work, automation of the prepress workflow is of key importance to
printing companies. Agfa is ideally placed to meet the need for automation by offering workflow
management and print project management software, for packaging and commercial printers as well
as for newspapers. Agfa workflow solutions mean faster operations, higher quality and more cost
efficiency for the customers. Moreover, Agfa workflows ensure that the resulting digital
prepress output can immediately be repurposed for other communication media, such as
multimedia CDs or the Internet.
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Agfa annual report 2002