Agfa Graphics to launch :Apogee Suite 8.0 prepress workflow at drupa 2012

Agfa Graphics will launch the next generation of its award-winning prepress workflow, :Apogee Suite 8.0, at drupa 2012.  Featuring new tools designed to help printers in offset and digital print or hybrid environments become more innovative, it interacts more efficiently internally and with their customers while optimising every step in the production process. :Apogee Suite 8.0 will be running live and available for demonstrations at the company’s stand at drupa (Düsseldorf, Germany May 3 â€" 16, Hall 8A) and will be available for purchase in the third quarter 2012.

Among the innovations in :Apogee Suite 8.0 is the new interactive :Apogee StoreFront, the new cloud-based, web-to-print solution. :Apogee StoreFront makes it easy to set up online stores for both printed and non-printed products. Seamless integration with :Apogee Prepress or any other workflow software ensure that orders are automatically downloaded and setup for production based on job specifications. Because it is cloud based and easy to use, printers can launch multiple, customised storefronts with no additional staff or costly infrastructure investment. :Apogee StoreFront gives printers the means to reach new markets and enrich customer experience, thus expanding business.

:Apogee Impose now supports web offset printing. Designed for the specific needs of web printing operations, this unique rule-based imposition software takes all specifications into account, including web folding and finishing requirements, to generate the optimal imposition scheme. A last minute change of press is no problem for :Apogee Impose. Plus, it supports single, dual and multiple web deliveries. :Apogee Impose lowers setup cost while delivering the level of automation web printers demand.

A new Merge Jobs function lets :Apogee 8 determine which jobs can be combined in one production run. This cuts costs by optimising press runs. An innovative algorithm places different jobs on the sheet in the most optimal manner.  As a result, there are fewer cuts which translates to less paper waste.

“:Apogee 8 is loaded with innovations that cater to every type of operationâ€"sheet and web offset as well as hybrid operations including wide format. New 64-bit support combined with virtualisation (VMWare) lets high-volume printers consolidate processing. Other tools reduce costs with efficient output management such as the job merge function. All of these improvements are the result of carefully listening to our customers all over the world and incorporating their feedback,” said Andy Grant, head of software, Agfa Graphics, worldwide.

For more information, please visit www.agfa.com