The manufacturer will debut the plate, which is already being used by selected customers, at the World Publishing Expo 2015 in Hamburg, Germany from 5-7 October. It will be commercially available from early 2016.

Agfa first launched its chemistry-free plates for the newspaper industry in 2007. It followed this with the introduction of the N94-VCF chemistry-free violet offset plate in 2011 and more than 70% of the firm’s newspaper customers worldwide reportedly switched to this technology to produce newspapers.

Agfa said the N95-VCF plate offers improved robustness on press and supports much higher run lengths than its predecessors; up to 300,000 sheets, dependent on the press conditions.

The plate also supports UV ink printing and has a high image contrast, which makes plate inspection and optical recognition by punch and bending equipment easier. It is fully daylight resistant once cleaned out and also features a high scratch resistance, the company added.

Agfa Graphics newspaper segment manager Emiel Sweevers said: “Our chem-free technology offers our customers a stable and mature solution that has a proven record of satisfied users.”

The N95-VCF plate is fully compatible with the existing series of violet processors and clean-out units (COUs). The implementation of the N95-VCF requires no changes in the platesetter, nor the COU or the press.

Agfa Graphics is also launching its new Attiro VHS COU at the World Publishing Expo. The firm said the device can be used with the N95-VCF plate for minimal gum consumption, to give a maximal clean-out effect.

“Both the new N95-VCF plate and the Attiro VHS allow us again to set a new standard for the newspaper industry,” said Sweevers.