Steve Collins, wide-format inkjet product and channel manager for Agfa Graphics UK, explains its ‘technology meets creativity meets technology’ strategy.
The advancements in inkjet technology have certainly been a driving force behind an explosion of ideas. Major improvements in speed and quality have allowed people to push the boundaries of wide-format inkjet technology and with the evolution of UV printing and the ability to print directly onto the surface of different types of substrates, virtually anything is possible. We are now witnessing an increase in diverse applications used by graphic designers and architects as printing directly on materials such as glass, wood and ceramics becomes more commonplace.
As these ideas develop, it has always been Agfa’s vision to give users the tools to expand their creative ideas alongside the technology. The knowledge and expertise from the company’s photographic background and the know-how of image and colour management allows Agfa Graphics to bring products to market that can stimulate vision and creative ideas. It makes sense to share this large amount of knowledge.
Over the years, Agfa become well known for its educational booklets that unlocked the secrets of the printing process. Many creative designers will remember those with fondness as they gave a clear explanation of the different aspects of print. These days, there are other ways to spread the knowledge - eg. the Digital Dots Wild Format Guides (http: www.digitaldots.org/wild-format) of which Agfa Graphics is a sponsor. These guides keep up the tradition of supporting education and educational projects in the industry.
Creatives and designers have come closer to inkjet technology to explore new developments and create opportunities for new applications. For printers and sign and display makers it is extremely important
to reach out to the new generation of designers who tend to prefer the mix of conventional print and any alternatives, including inkjet and even pure digital formats. As a supplier to the graphics industry, Agfa Graphics also tries get in touch with those that are or will be the creative drivers of the industry.
Escola Antoni Algueró is the GG.AA. school from the Graphic Arts Users Association in Catalonia (Spain). All activities and training courses have been historically based on traditional offset printing and prepress activities. Agfa Spain has a long relationship with the School and has equipped it with conventional prepress hardware and software for training purposes in the past years. But the nature of the students has changed and so has the school’s aim. It wants to expand the students’ curriculum toward new markets and technologies including packaging, sign and display or digital media, and the use of new technologies in these environments. Hence a fully equipped sign and display working area includes a wide-format Anapurna printer and a range of flexible media (vinyl, banner, textiles). A dedicated car wrapping box was also installed, and Agfa provided a specific support programme to train teachers and students according to the different learning modules.
Another way of showing creativity at its best is at the industry trade shows. They give the chance for vendors to bring creative ideas to visitors of all types and show what is possible with today’s technology. And maybe in the future, new initiatives like Retail Design Expo (http://retaildesignexpo.com/) in London may create opportunities as well.
At shows, Agfa Graphics' House of Asanti has been one of the most popular displays over the past couple of years. The entire set-up is created and erected using industry-standard substrates in the form of an actual house complete with furnishings. It is a great vehicle to show the creative possibilities of wide-format printing, as much of the interior uses a fashionable, eccentric and unusual approach to printing doors, lamps and furniture. The aim: to trigger creativity outside the standard comfort zone.
The House of Asanti is also used at other locations where Agfa Graphics is represented, less so with equipment but more to promote the company and the market it supplies. With this creative display, which may look controversial to some, it has generated interest and started many conversations on what can be achieved with inkjet solutions.