Taking It to Printers

Early in April, Agfa Corporation launched its three-month Digital Solutions Tour, a rolling "demo center on wheels" designed to deliver to commercial printing companies hands-on demonstrations of various Agfa technologies and free operational audits.

Outfitted with various Agfa products—such as AgfaJet Sherpa ink-jet proofers, the Apogee Series 2 workflow solution, Salient network software, and workstations running Apogee Create and Pilot—a customized 18-wheel tractor trailer and a team of technical and sales personnel have been making numerous stops. They began visiting clients and prospects in the Southeast, starting in southern Florida then moving northward through Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama.

Agfa is offering these printers—who have indicated interest in moving from film-based workflows to computer-to-plate (CTP) production— free audits, technical demonstrations, return-on-investment evaluations, and suggestions on how to improve operations.

The company hopes to strengthen ties with customers and help them implement an ink-jet proofing or CTP workflow solution.

Says Dan Victory, Agfa's national technical manager for consumable products, "Five out of six printers today know that they want to go CTP, but don't know exactly how to get there. That's why we're doing this tour."

He adds, "First, we assess color specs from all phases of their operations, from proofing and press fingerprinting to dot gain measurement, density and gray balance—the works. We then suggest solutions to going CTP."

Agfa plans to extend the tour westward this fall after visiting printers in Texas and Kansas.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for the end user and Agfa because we can reach customers with a full complement of products," says Susan Wittner, director of marketing for Agfa Graphic Systems. "If the tour is well received, we will consider the next phase in another part of the country."