New features and major improvements boost production efficiency with new Apogee v11

A solid workflow adapted to changing market requirements is a high-value asset for printers. Building on its unique feature set as production hub, Apogee v11 takes print production to the next level by automating all prepress tasks. The new release also includes multi-product support to increase printing efficiency, while the integration with PressTune supports Agfa Graphics’ ECO³ market approach focused on economy, ecology and extra convenience.
Press efficiency and order combination

Apogee v11 offers a mechanism to combine print jobs in an intelligent way in order to optimize press time, while also keeping track of the actual order. With this new feature, it caters to the needs of printers faced with shortening run lengths and looking for ways to keep their presses running as efficiently as possible to maintain sustainable margins.

The challenge of combining orders on a single press sheet does not lie in the actual placement of the various orders, but in keeping track of the separate orders and allowing for proper finishing. With Apogee v11, collation marks, signature barcodes and all other marks remain in place and refer to the original order.

“This is a major step forward in production efficiency,” says Erik Peeters, Global Marketing Manager Software Solutions. “Combining orders reduces plate changes and lowers production costs. As paper waste is significantly less, the ecological footprint decreases too. As always, Apogee looks beyond pure functionalities and takes the full production cycle into account.”
Production hub

In addition, Apogee v11 functions as the ideal production hub, guaranteeing reliable content reproduction independent of output devices, including digital presses. As such, it allows printers to increase their production efficiency and tackle the squeezed margins on low copy count orders.

Apogee v11 handles all necessary preparations, including specific production requirements like cut ‘n stack, or booklet printing. To reduce the manual job preparation even more, orders can be processed in a fully automatic way using AutoImpose, a new function of the award-winning Apogee Impose. This simplifies the workflow and reduces production costs as digital press operators now only need to manage and control devices and output quality.

“The automatic imposition feature in Apogee v11 is a key feature for digital print production,” says Erik Peeters. “Combined with Agfa’s cloud-based automation solution, PrintSphere AutoPilot, which uses XML or JDF information to intelligently route orders to the appropriate output device, it becomes a very powerful tool to increase the overall efficiency of a printing company.”
Print buyers get greater control

Apogee WebApproval, the online portal that lets print buyers access their jobs for file upload and page approval, also gets an update. Firstly, printers can now allow their customers to create new jobs directly, limiting the workload of prepress operators for repeat jobs. Secondly, the new ‘Guest’ function makes it easier for print service providers to offer the easy-to-use WebApproval service to print brokers and one-time users. Thirdly, users can now also preview foldouts and check the size and position of layout elements.
Easy online access to production data

Apogee WebFlow is a new module that gives customer service representatives, press and finishing operators or others within a printing company access to prepress job data. It makes it easy to check job status, visualize page content and check which signatures are ready for output. WebFlow exchanges job info with Agfa Graphics’ ECO3 software solution PressTune, enabling CSRs to quickly review the print quality of their customers’ orders and as such avoid the cost of re-runs due to print quality rejection by the print buyer.
“Whether you are on the road or sitting in your couch with a tablet, you can track jobs anytime, anywhere,” Erik Peeters states. “We keep extending our family of web tools while at the same time listening to our users who insist on keeping things simple for their customers.”

Geared towards the future

Innovation is the driving force within Agfa. More than 20 years ago, Apogee Series 1 was the first workflow to use PDF as a production file format. The newest generation of Apogee continues to take the lead in prepress workflow solutions, which is also why the latest technologies from key partners Microsoft and Adobe are integrated. Apogee v11 includes the Adobe PDF Print Engine 5 to prepare printers for full compatibility with the new PDF 2.0 standard and to output designs correctly.

“After Adobe launched PDF and Acrobat twenty-five years ago, Agfa followed with the first prepress solution to use the new PDF file format for print workflow,” said Mark Lewiecki, Senior Product Manager, Adobe. “Today’s release of Apogee 11 builds on this long-standing relationship by taking advantage of Adobe PDF Print Engine version 5. Agfa customers will benefit from greater workflow efficiencies, powerful new color capabilities, and full support of PDF 2.0 print features.”

Version 11 from Apogee will be available from 22 October 2018 onward. It will be offered both as on-premise and cloud solution. The on-premise version will also be available via a subscription model for customers who want to transition easily to this powerful prepress workflow solution.

GPMI’s last vehicle wrap workshop of the year.

Thanks to all customers who attended the training in 2017. Using Avery’s premium cast materials – MPI 1104 Easy Apply & Supreme Wrapping Films saves you time & money while offering your clients a great finished product.
Need SWF colours by the metre?
GPMI is the best solution to source these materials for your business!!

Please advise of your interest for training in 2018.

MB Car stickers purchase a Mimaki CJV30-130

A big thanks to Mantas Barsteiga of MB Car stickers, for his recent purchase of a Mimaki CJV30-130, and of course the Avery Supreme Wrapping film SW900 product, which he used to wrap a lovely Mercedes Benz to take 3rd prize at a recent car show event at North East Modified. Mantas attends to do the Canonball Run ( cannonball.ie ) in September where he would like to drum up some car wrapping business, we wish him all the best, I think he will do very well considering the quality of the work he produces… contact MB Stickers at carstickerjob@gmail.com he is based in Ballymount Drive, Walkinstown.

Superb Building Façade by Signs Connect Ireland

Superb Building Façade makeover done by Patrick Lennon in Signs Connect Ireland. The Film used was (for the first time ever in Ireland) Avery Facade film, with a bespoke colour match to Hilti Irelands corporate colour in a matt finish to completely change the Facade of their HQ building in Dublin. The Film was Supplied and supported by GPMI.

Mimaki UJV55-320 now with 2 year warranty

We’re pleased to announce that with immediate effect and for a limited time only, the Mimaki UJV55-320 grand format LED UV printer will include a comprehensive 2 Year Warranty.

The UJV55 remains an innovative and class-leading product and offers great opportunities for businesses looking to bring grand format printing in house, deliver backlit graphics in a single process or take advantage of its twin-roll printing capabilities.

This offer is valid on all new orders placed before 31st August 2017

Karl Byrne joins Graphic & Paper Merchants Ireland.

Karl Byrne, former of Xeretec Ireland, has taken a new role with Graphic & Paper Merchants Ireland.
Karl brings more than 20 years’ experience from the print industry.
Karl joins as a Senior account manager looking after existing customers in the West of Ireland and growing the business.
“This is an exciting time to join GPMI. They are on a growth curve and are a very ambitious company,” said Karl.
“The print industry is constantly changing and this is exciting times to be back in the industry.
“They’ve been growing organically for the last two years and part of the reason why I got involved is really to help move it on to the next level, with a combination of continued structured organic growth and moving into new markets.”

We welcome Karl to the team and wish him every success in his new role.

Another Mimaki Installation

“Free My Picture” just installed a Mimaki CJV150-75 making better print on tshirts, hats & bags for you, their fantastic customers..best of luck with the new machine,and many thanks for your custom.

Printers of Ireland Motorcycle tour of Scotland 2017

Five days of pure bliss, fantastic roads, amazing scenery, and the rain held off, what more could you want..Oh Yeah…great company, we had that in bucket loads…we have now completed Scotland’s must see North Coast 500.
a special thanks to Dave Curtis (Fine Print, Dublin) Andy Vosper (TJ International, Cornwall) John De La Roche (Hybrid Services UK) Freddie Snowe (Irish Print Museum) Roger Pitt (Print Consultant, Kent) Michael O’Brien (Formally Web Print Concepts, Cork), Brian Crawford and Eoin Honan (GPMi, Ireland)

Mimaki Unveils New Model in UJF-MkII Product Line-Up at FESPA 2017

Mimaki has announced a new member of the UJF-MkII product family, its latest generation of small format UV flatbed printers. The UJF-3042MkII EX, which will be unveiled at FESPA 2017, offers a unique approach to value-added printing by combining four steps into one: delivering the ability to place primer for strong ink adhesion, white ink for high print opacity, full colour CMYK printing and a clear print surface treatment, all in one operation.

This high versatility approach has been enabled through the addition of a fourth print head and the ability to hold eight ink bottles. FESPA 2017 is scheduled for 8th to 12th May in Hamburg, Germany. Mimaki Europe will have two stands at FESPA, and is set to show the new printer on its stand in the Digital Hall (Stand A1-A25), where it will also be demonstrating a wide range of solutions for the sign and graphics market and industrial print. The company will also have a presence in the Textile Hall (Stand B6-C50), demonstrating its long-time commitment to the textile industry.

The UJF-MkII UV curable flatbed printing systems were launched last summer and have been very well received by the market since their introduction. Mimaki has identified the opportunity to raise the bar even further with the new model, enabling in a single operation; the laying down, where required, of a base coat of inkjet primer, a base print of white ink, full colour print and a surface coating of clear ink, adding up to an efficient means of producing value-added printing applications. Mimaki also offers a texture library within the Mimaki RasterLink6 RIP that can deliver further value in the finished print.

Exclusively distributed in the UK and Ireland by Hybrid Services, the company’s national sales manager, John de la Roche states, “The addition of the EX to the UJF-MkII range is significant and offers unique opportunities for companies looking for a direct to object printer that can deliver real value-added functionality.”

Additional new features

In addition to all of the advantages of the Mimaki UJF-3042MkII, the new UJF-3042MkII EX adds more features to the standard model for higher performance and ease of use, including a status indication lamp to quickly check the status of the printer, a vacuum table to fix the print substrate and an emergency switch to immediately stop the machine operation. It also offers worry-free operation with automatic detection and cleaning of clogged nozzles, substituting them with good nozzles for printing during the process.

The compressed workflow includes a jettable primer to improve ink adhesion whilst retaining the texture of the material after printing, which is difficult to do with manual primer application. The Mimaki PR-200 primer can be used on resin, glass and metal materials. Mimaki’s white UV ink features high opacity and enables a more vivid expression of full colour, especially on dark or transparent substrates. Two bottles of white ink can be attached to the printer to achieve high density white print in a shorter time with greater opacity.

Mimaki’s clear ink, with either glossy or matte effects, can add texture and depth to prints. It can be laid down in multiple layers for an embossed effect and can be used with Mimaki’s texture library as part of the Mimaki RasterLink6 RIP software which offers 129 different textures that can be displayed as swatches in Adobe® Illustrator. Application of these textures with clear ink can deliver more elaborate designs, such as a floral motifs or other patterns that add even greater value to the printed piece.