Real-time data insights into print quality drive these capabilities, independent of printing technology and press manufacturer, Agfa said.
The new offerings are part of Agfa’s ECO³ programme, which focuses on ecology, economy, and extra convenience to make pre-press and printing operations cleaner, more cost-effective and easier to manage and maintain.
Building on grey component replacement (GCR) technology, InkTune works by dynamically substituting CMY inks with black ink.
The software, which has replaced the InkSave tool in Agfa’s portfolio, is fully integrated into the pre-press workflow and uses unique Agfa technology such as Dynamic Ink Limit Control and Dynamic Device Link Generation to maximise ink reduction up to 30%, while maintaining colour fidelity.
The PressTune print production tool applies intelligent analytics to print and colour data obtained from the press.
It gives real-time reports on the performance of the press and enables issue identification and optimised press maintenance scheduling.
Agfa said this tool’s dashboard makes it simple for users to generate print quality reports for brand owners in packaging and commercial print and allows for remote quality assurance.
“PressTune drives consistency, productivity and the ability to print to exacting standards, for instance ISO,” said Agfa Graphics JDF & MIS pre-press integration technician Russell Sheff.
“As the required print quality standard is reached faster by means of dynamic ink density adjustment and a data-driven scoring mechanism which also incorporates dry-back compensation, makeready times can also be reduced dramatically.
“With the added option of using InkTune, the reduction of ink not only has a positive cost saving impact, it also increases overall production efficiency as the drying time is reduced.”
He added: “Both software solutions are available on a loyalty license only. They are offered as an added value solution and at no cost as long as the customer remains with Agfa using our consumables.
“They come as a physical software package and are linked to Agfa’s Apogee pre-press workflow. The only cost to the customer is installation and maybe any hardware they may need, for instance an Eye One [spectrophotometer] or additional PC screen.”
