Punch eyes Esko digital arm

News by

09 July 2003

Xeikons owner Punch International plans to buy Esko-Graphics digital printing products department in a move that it believes will establish the worlds leading front-end group for production colour digital printing.

The company signed a letter of intent on 2 July and is embarking upon due diligence.

It plans to integrate the department, which employs 15 staff, with Xeikon Internationals front-end group.

Punch said the move would also enable faster growth of Punchs digital front-end activities, also beyond Xeikon printing systems.

The Esko-Graphics wing (formerly part of Barco) developed the powerful and sophisticated PrintStreamer front-end for Xeikon digital presses. PrintStreamer was then effectively sidelined after Xeikon focused on Agfas IntelliStream front-end, which it acquired along with Agfas digital printing division in 2000. But PrintStreamer was very popular with users and is still widely used in the field for variable data applications.

Last week Xeikon said it was setting up its own office in the UK that would also take on MAN Roland GBs DICOpress and DICOpack business.

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