Plant visits…

Journalists to the pre-drupa conference were taken for plant visits to Xeikon and Agfa premises.
Print the Future with Xeikon (Hall 8a/B20)

In its first major show since it was acquired by Flint Group, Xeikon has a number of headliners prepared for drupa. These include its brand-new Trillium One press based on the technology demonstration of Trillium at drupa 2012 and Fusion, the next big thing in packaging and labels.

Flint Group will have a presence in: Hall 3a where it will talk to visitors about its wide range of consumables; Hall 8a, where an information hub will highlight the group synergies, and Hall 8b, with BasysPrint and Thermoflexx where together they will continue the conversation on the commonalities in prepress.

“Our drupa theme is Direct. Dedicated. Digital,” says Danny Mertens, Xeikon corporate communications manager, “and visitors to our stand will see that in action, with innovations across the board. This includes workflow efficiencies with our digital front end, the print engines themselves, our unique consumables and our next-generation approach to finishing. Our stand at drupa will have something for everyone in the printing industry, and visitors are guaranteed to go away with new ideas about how they can expand their capabilities to drive profitability.”

Since the announcement of its breakthrough Trillium liquid toner technology at drupa 2012, Xeikon has been working to commercialize the first digital press using Trillium technology and will present the brand-new Trillium One four-color press at drupa 2016. Capable of running at 60 meters (200 feet) per minute at 1200 dpi, with a print width of 500 mm (19.7 inches), it combines cost-effectiveness, high quality and speed for the ultimate in digital printing performance.

Trillium One is the missing link in the industry for high volume direct marketing materials and publishing such as catalogs. Many of these applications will also be demonstrated during the show. A Trillium theatre on the booth will also stage five live daily demos.

Xeikon will also present its unrivalled toner capabilities as part of production areas focused on labels, folding cartons and document & commercial printing. This includes its own-developed Tonnik, a liquid toner developed for Trillium One, that combines all the advantages of dry toner in a liquid format. Tonnik has a lot of potential for future developments, it will become the most sustainable, environmentally friendly and economical colorant for the digital printing industry.

For labels, the Xeikon CX3, which has seen more than 20 systems installed since its September 2015 launch, will be producing a broad array of applications with inline finishing. Its top speed of 30 m/min (98 ft/min) ensures it is the most productive five-color digital label press in its class.

Xeikon will also be showing its own developed digital diecutting unit for folding carton applications. This nearline flatbed unit was developed to enable customers to better complete in short run carton conversion with streamlined and responsive production.

Xeikon’s technology is steeped in innovation for the document market; and at drupa, the Xeikon 9800 will represent the latest developments. It can print on a wide range of untreated substrates ranging from 40gsm to 300gsm at a resolution of 1200×3600 with variable dot density for unmatched quality. Combined with the variable data capabilities of the Xeikon X-800 front-end, this press is perfectly suited for high-end direct marketing work. It will be shown in a roll-to-roll configuration to demonstrate economies and scale of production, with finishing by Xeikon Aura partner Hunkeler.

With Fusion Technology, Xeikon comes very close to a fully automated, unattended label and packaging production. It combines full-colour production printing with digital embellishment of labels and packaging in a single-pass, fully digital production process. It is comprised of a series of embellishment modules that will be released over time as components of an entirely new modular system with the digital front-end taking care of prepress, data processing, color management and press operation as well as full control and operation of all embellishment modules without any manual intervention. Potential modules include hot / cold foiling; screen prints; matte, gloss and structured flood and spot varnish; and digital Braille.

In response to customer requests for security features, anticounterfeiting and brand protection features, particularly for applications such as tax stamps and vouchers, Xeikon has incorporated a growing range of digital security printing features into its hardware and software. These include taggant marked spot color toner. Taggants are microscopic chemical markers that can be added to the substrate or the toner itself, to allow various forms of verification. They are already used for high security documents such as banknotes, identification documents and other valuable paper-based products.

Xeikon’s Services offering will be well represented at the booth, too, with Xeikon experts on hand to share advice on quality, productivity and technology. Xeikon services range from installation, setup and support to a range of Premium Services that includes training and education, color services and business development training and advice. Xeikon will be promoting the power of its long-established Aura partner program that brings all Xeikon partners together under a central umbrella. Customers benefit from a transparent overview of all tested and approved total solutions enabled through Xeikon’s extensive set of industry partners and rigorous certification process.

Mertens adds, “Aura gets stronger all the time and underscores the fact that we place great importance on helping our customers develop the most effective and efficient workflow process for their operational needs, whether components are manufactured by Xeikon or trusted partners. By partnering with the industry’s best, we can bring to market solutions that will benefit our customers, giving them the most efficient and effective workflow possible.”

Agfa Graphics to address opportunities for growth at drupa 2016 (Hall 8a/B62)

At a pre-drupa press conference hosted in its headquarters in Belgium, Agfa Graphics unveiled its plans for the upcoming drupa show in Düsseldorf. Agfa Graphics president Stefaan Vanhooren, said, “Print and print technology continue to play a crucial role despite the digitization of our daily lives.

Print volumes undoubtedly suffer in particular areas and applications (e.g. newspapers, magazines and some commercial jobs), yet they are still growing in packaging, wide-format and industrial applications, as well as in the emerging economies, generating plenty of business opportunities. And even in mature printing markets and regions, our innovative thinking and solutions enable our customers to always stay ahead.

As a leading player with a truly global footprint in the print markets, we invite visitors to drupa with the slogan ‘We Embody Print’, underlining our commitment to both the offset printing and the wide-format printing industry, while also opening doors to new print markets and applications in need of innovative solutions.” At drupa 2016, Agfa Graphics will present an overview of its product portfolio, which include ECO3.

In the field of offset printing, Agfa Graphics focuses on transforming technology into sustainable solutions that create value for its customers. The environmental impact of these solutions is an important factor, yet Agfa Graphics is taking this one step further by adding total cost of operations and convenience to the equation. ECO3 stands for Eco-friendly, Economic and Extremely Convenient. “With the introduction of the Azura printing plate in 2004, we pioneered chemistry-free prepress solutions; we are still the industry leader,” explained Joan Vermeersch, vice president Technology, Marketing & Business Development Prepress. “In the meantime, we also keep improving conventional systems to become more ECO3.” Recent improvements for chemistry-free applications include the Attiro VHS clean-out unit with the N95-VCF (violet chemistryfree) printing plates for the newspaper industry, the new Azura TU VLF chemistry-free plates for very large-format offset applications in combination with the new Azura CX150 clean-out unit, and the Azura TE direct-on-press plates, that feature image contrast as well as daylight stability and fast roll-up, and thus offer a tremendous advantage when going on press.

For drupa, Agfa Graphics also adds the Avalon N8-90 CtP to its family of thermal computer-to-plate systems, and the new Energy Elite Eco printing plate. With a best-in-class run length for no-bake positive thermal plates, the latter is both mechanically and chemically compatible with today’s needs in sheetfed and heatset applications. Also new on the booth will be the pallet loader for the high-end, automated Advantage newspaper CtP systems, and the Advantage N Essentials CtP series, which takes computer-to-plate technology for newspaper printers back to its essence while providing equal userfriendliness and reliability.

All Jeti and Anapurna wide-format solutions are designed in accordance with Agfa Graphics’ “matched components approach.” The Anapurna roll-to-roll and hybrid solutions will be driven by the Asanti workflow at the booth. So will the versatile Jeti Mira with the unique dockable roll-to-roll option and the highly productive Jeti Tauro, now for the first time in a ¾ automation line-up including the new automatic board feeder and unloading unit. The new Acorta 3120 HD, targeted at very thick or dense materials, completes the Acorta family of cutting plotters. Besides the new Apogee 10 and Arkitex Production 2.0, Agfa Graphics announced PrintSphere, offering print service providers a cloud-based solution for online data exchange. PrintSphere provides a standardized way to send and receive files including secure back-ups of production databases, all seamlessly integrated with the Apogee, Arkitex and Asanti workflow software.

Agfa Graphics will be present at the visionary Touchpoint Packaging in hall 12 with technology and software solutions for future packaging design, production, authentication and customization or personalization.

With its Eversify mobile content publishing software, Agfa Graphics addresses magazine and newspaper publishers that seek a solution to diversify their content to a wide range of devices (smartphones, tablets) at any moment of the day – in an automated way. The SaaS solution can be integrated in any editorial, content management or InDesignÒ-based layout system. Eversify creates a world of possibilities for more interactive and engaging reader communication