RELIABLE INVESTMENT Cost efficiency and return on investment are critical to the success of new purchases. So, what factors are there to be aware of when looking to invest in computer-to-plate technology? Getting your budget right in what is currently a difficult market is key to ensuring longevity in any sort of business. Here in print, where margins can be tight and print service providers (PSPs) are looking to squeeze every penny out of jobs, ensuring you are spending smartly is hugely important to long-term success. This is especially true when it comes to computer-to-plate (CtP) as getting your investment wrong could be a costly mistake. Ensure you do your research properly to establish exactly what you want from your machine, how it will fit into your production setup and that it will allow you to produce high-quality work. Here, we speak with several manufacturers in this market to find out how PSPs can make this buying process easier and what they should be looking for when investing in new CtP kit. Quality and Consistency First up is Agfa, which has its finger in several pies across the print market. Iris Bogunovic, product manager for plate and CtP at Agfa, says that the pandemic has caused an economic crisis and disruption across many industries, including print, which has in turn forced businesses to re-think how they conduct operations. “By recognising the current changes and understanding how to use them, the printing industry continues to move forward, spurred by the continued shift in technology,” Bogunovic says, adding: “Therefore it’s important to build in solutions that help consume less energy, speed up production, minimise downtime, increase quality and print consistency. “2023 is shaping up to be a year of exciting changes in the printing business. This year’s top printing trends include everything from technological advancements to an emphasis on sustainability. In order to obtain the necessary savings, to identify the routes that contribute to increased business performance and make them more agile, automation comes as a must.” Bogunovic explains that the dedicated Agfa Offset business is committed to quality, productivity, and advanced technology, offering the example of the ECO³ program that includes a number of innovations. As a part of ECO³, Agfa Offset introduced a plate loading robot that Bogunovic says streamlines and speeds up printers’ prepress operations. The robot is custom-built according to a printer’s exact needs and can simultaneously feed multiple plate production lines. “The set-up is especially convenient for printers that need to handle multiple plate sizes, or feed multiple platesetters ▲ Agfa integrates its Apogee workflow software into plate-loading robots BACK TO BASICS / COMPUTER-TO-PLATE 76 email: news@printmonthly.co.uk Issue 342 - May / June 2023
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