Presses

Mark Turner, SMP Group digital director, is able to complete high-quality low-quantity print runs on this UV flatbed digital/screen hybrid machine

What does the machine do?
The Agfa M-Press is a high-speed UV flatbed digital/screen hybrid. The machine is used for point-of-sale (PoS) campaigns and is colour calibrated to match the footprint of our litho presses. The printed sheet size is 2.6x1.7m. It will print on virtually any substrate, from 100gsm paper to 10mm Foamex.

Why did you choose this particular machine?
Our retail clients increasingly showed a requirement for low-volume high-resolution printing, for which the M-Press is ideal. We were also the beta site for the machine, so by installing it we became a world-leader in high-speed flatbed digital printing.

Did you look at any other similar machines?
No. At the time, there was nothing comparable to the M-Press. Even today, two years on, there is still no comparable machine.

Why did you make the purchase?
It allows us to give our clients greater flexibility. We use it on a daily basis to process campaigns that contain language variants, store-specific messages and that use a variety of materials.

What features do you particularly like?
The media handling is second to none and the registration is so accurate that we can use standard finishing. It also has an inline screen unit, which allows us to print four-colour digital with a one-colour pantone special, all in one pass.

How fast is it?
550m2 per hour.

Is there anything that you wish it had that it doesn’t?
We’d like it to run even faster, maybe 1,000m2 per hour.

How reliable is it?
We run this machine 24 hours a day, across three shifts, and we are supported by an excellent Agfa engineering team.

What’s the quality like?
It is calibrated to match the colour profile of our litho presses and prints to 720dpi resolution. A recent upgrade in head technology has further improved the print quality.

How easy is it to use?
Very. We easily change substrate from 100gsm paper to 10mm foam board, plus it is run via the same workflow as our litho presses (Agfa Apogee X), providing us with colour and artwork consistency.

Were there any difficulties experienced during the installation or after?
Being the beta site meant it took longer for the machine to settle in than it normally would, but Agfa had technical people on hand to help with the process.

What about the pre- and after-sale service?
Excellent.

Who do you think the machine is right for?
Companies that have clients that require short and medium runs (up to 1,000 sheets) printed at a high resolution onto a variety of substrates.

Under what circumstances would you buy another?
As soon as the digital workload is no longer catered for by our 24-hour shift.

CONCLUSION
User’s verdict
Speed 5/5
Quality 4/5
Reliability 4/5
Value for money 5/5

Supplier’s response
Geert Vandenhole, M-Press global sales manager at Agfa GRaphics, says:The 720dpi quality of the M-Press means that it can print detail never previously possible on large-format screen printing lines. The press is built on a Thieme base, which gives it all the benefits of automated material handling, so that it can keep up with the productivity of the digital printing unit and maintain sheet-to-sheet registration. The latest M-Press is a genuine replacement for screen printing. With a similar investment level and running cost to screen printing, but with higher image detail and no need for screens and films, the economical run-length limitations of other digital engines no longer applies.

Price £990,000
Contact Agfa UK 0208 231 4929