NEWS

(16.02.2021 / sbr)

Danish printer opts for Agfa’s Adamas chem-free plate

KLS PurePrint is one of Denmark’s largest printing companies that lives up to the highest environmental standards. Agfa’s Adamas chem-free printing plate and Apogee workflow software proved a perfect match for their production.

KLS PurePrint continuously raises the bar regarding sustainable print production, which is also what their customers expect. They were the second company worldwide to obtain ‘Cradle to Cradle’ certification. Some time ago, the company invested in a non-Agfa process-free printing plate. However, this particular plate didn’t perform according to their expectations in terms of waste reduction and cost savings. Agfa’s second generation of chemistry-free Adamas plates, on the other hand, does deliver what KLS PurePrint needs ánd perfectly fits in their sustainability strategy.

The Adamas solution consists of the Adamas plates and an Adamas clean-out unit. “Since we switched to Adamas, we can handle longer print runs,” says Prepress Manager Keld Kortbæk. “Futhermore, the plate’s excellent image contrast enables an easy visual check to avoid any mistakes. Scratch resistance is great too.”

“One size doesn’t always fit all,” says Kenneth Rasmussen, Agfa’s Head of Commercial Sales for the Nordic region. “That is always our philosophy when helping printing companies decide on a prepress solution. KLS PurePrint went for a process-free plate first, but found all that they required in our Adamas system.” He adds: “The combination of the Adamas plate and clean-out unit completely eliminates the need for rinse water, and replaces chemicals with a pH neutral gumming solution with a very low replenishment rate. This results in a very little waste, low disposal costs and a safer work environment. The second generation of Adamas extends bath life to 8,000 m² of printing plates, which means that a printer with an annual plate consumption around 30,000 m² will only need to change the bath four times per year.”

KLS PurePrint also switched workflow system to Agfa’s Apogee software. “We made the switch because we had some issues with the previous system,” Keld Kortbæk says. “There were differences between the files that the customer approved and the printed results, in particular. The move to Apogee, including its excellent imposition module Apogee Impose, also lowered production time in prepress. Apogee WebApproval offers great value too: what you approve is what you get. In sum, Apogee has provided us with a more stable production flow.”