Mortsel, Belgium – 8 March 2007 – Agfa Graphics announced today that it met its ambitious show targets at the Graphispag 2007 prepress and printing exhibition (Barcelona, Spain, 19-25 February). More than 50 CtP systems, the majority of which for use with :Azura chemistry-free plates, were sold at the show, but also five :Avalon VLF (Very Large Format) systems. From the company's rapidly expanding inkjet portfolio, :Anapurna wide-format UV curable inkjet printers also contributed to the success.

Digital Prepress, Software Solutions and Wide-Format Printing.
Agfa's stand showed a state-of-the art production workflow including thermal CtP for commercial and package printing, with :Acento and :Avalon CtP systems from 4-up to Very Large Format, with :Energy Elite premium plates and Thermofuse-based, patented and record-selling chemistry-free :Azura plates.

Agfa applications specialists brought a theatre presentation to demonstrate the tangible benefits of:ApogeeX and :Delano software. By automating prepress production, streamlining proofing and project management, and involving print buyers in the printer's workflow, they reduce error, save time and free up resources. After each presentation, Agfa's specialists answered questions from the showgoers.
The :Anapurna wide format UV-curable ink printer first shown at Ipex 2006 was demonstrated in Barcelona printing very high quality at high production speeds onto virtually any flexible or rigid media. Output ranging from banners, plastic, plexiglass, metal, board, and many more proved its versatility.

Newspaper Production.
Agfa has made violet laser CtP a de facto standard for newspaper prepress production. The Graphispag stand featured a live technology demo of chemistry-free violet platemaking, showing future direction for violet newspaper CtP. Agfa plans to commercialise this new plate material by Drupa 2008. :Arkitex OptiInk and IntelliTune demonstrated how newspapers today can make substantial ink savings and implement automatic image enhancement with new easy to use software modules within market-leading :Arkitex newspaper software.

Packaging and Security.
Spain is one of the world's foremost package printing markets. :Avalon CtP and new :Energy Elite premium thermal plates handle exacting printing conditions including the use of UV-offset inks and aggressive fount solutions. :Alterno colour conversion software widens the gamut of printable colours and saves printing costs by replacing the many colours normally used in package production with two, user-definable colours. New :SecuSeal security software is an NT plug-in for Adobe Illustrator which lets designers add counterfeit-proof patterns to their designs to help brand owners combat counterfeiting and protect their most valuable asset.

Fully Booked Schedules throughout the Show.
Demonstration schedules for all systems and solutions were fully booked throughout the show. Agfa reports order intake on the show floor exceeding its own goals. CtP sales accounted for the bulk of this, and 80% of systems sold will be imaging :Azura chemistry-free plates. Agfa has well over 1000 :Azura installations worldwide of this chemistry-free plate, which uses patented ThermoFuse technology to make CtP imaging 100% digital while eliminating the affect of chemicals on the printing image.

"Graphispag 2007 visitors came to the show with a great willingness to invest in our innovative technology," said Angel Artola, general manager of Agfa Graphics in Spain and Portugal. "Printing companies everywhere are discovering that to reduce cost, improve quality and sell the value of print, they need cutting-edge technology that meets the precise requirements of their business today and beyond. Their needs drive our developments so our solutions can help them Stay Ahead and support the Power of Print."

About Agfa.
The Agfa-Gevaert Group is one of the world's leading imaging and information technology companies. Agfa develops, manufactures and markets analogue and digital systems for the printing industry (Agfa Graphics), the healthcare sector (Agfa HealthCare) and specific industrial applications (Agfa Materials).

Agfa's headquarters are in Mortsel, Belgium. The company is present in 40 countries and has agents in another 100 countries throughout the world. The Agfa-Gevaert Group achieved a turnover of 3,401million euro in 2006.

About Agfa Graphics.
Agfa Graphics offers integrated prepress solutions to the printing industry. These solutions comprise consumables, hardware, software and services for production workflow, project and colour management. Computer-to-film, computer-to-plate and digital proofing systems have earned Agfa Graphics a worldwide leadership position in the commercial and package printing and the newspaper publishing markets.

Agfa Graphics is rapidly expanding its offerings in the growing digital inkjet market. Its experience in both imaging and emulsion technology has provided the expertise required for making an assortment of high-quality UV and solvent-based inks. Joint development and manufacturing partnerships with industry leaders expand its technological reach and allow the company to develop comprehensive digital solutions for printing documents, posters, banners, signage, displays, labels and packaging materials.