Agfa Graphics has launched version 10 of its Apogee print hub with extra features, quality improvements, and performance enhancements.
Apogee 10’s new user interface enables printers to make optimum use of press sheets and press time, for both regularly and irregularly shaped print products and takes into account the required run length. In addition, the latest Apogee software version supports new digital print engines (Canon B4000 and Canon B5000) and the new Agfa Graphics Avalon N8-90 CP system.
“One of the most important features of Apogee 10, however, is its rejuvenated Digital Quick Strip (DQS) mechanism,” said Andy Grant, Head of Software, Agfa Graphics. “By processing pages separately before integrating them into a placeholder, Apogee and DQS turn page revision into a swift and simple task. And the same goes for updating the press sheet layout due to last-minute job rescheduling. Thanks to DQS, printers’ throughput is higher and output resources are utilized in the best way possible.”
Among the improvements in Apogee 10 are enhanced versioning support and the integration of Agfa Graphics’ IntelliTune technology for automatic image correction and image quality improvement. “Apogee 10 allows printers to set up a versioning job based on spot colour input files”, Grant explained. “They can also merge different parts of a versioning job onto one single plate to optimize press efficiency. All Apogee improvements aim to meet the ever-growing automation and performance needs of professional printers.”
The wWb-based file upload and page approval portal that is integrated in Apogee 10 now shows preflight notifications, page bleed and trim sizes to the connected print buyers, so that potential issues are discovered early in the production process and costly mistakes can be avoided.
Users can preview separations online, explains Agfa, to check if black text is set to overprint or a logo appears on the correct spot colour plate. They can even validate complex versioning jobs from within their browser. It all contributes to WebApproval as a powerful online collaboration tool, which strengthens the relationship between the printer and their customers.
Apogee 10 is also available as a cloud-based solution. “With Apogee Cloud, we offer printers the same Apogee products and features, only they are hosted by Agfa’s private and secure cloud,” said Grant. “That is a unique service and it comes with many more advantages. There is no need, for example, to provide any local configuration, software installations or hardware expertise. Printers can just leave that up to our Apogee experts and ICT specialists.”
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