ECO3 introduced the Amfortis workflow to meet the complex needs of packaging producers. It is designed as an integrated command centre to streamline all prepress tasks. Now with v2, the company has further fine-tuned Amfortis by adding a host of improvements and upgrades to allow printers to streamline job preparation and deliver the highest print quality while reducing communication time with print buyers and brand owners.
Increased automation tools, advanced process control features and optimised approval cycles are among the upgrades that will help drive more value in packaging production. The packaging market continues to grow. In particular, sustainable solutions made from fibre-based materials, such as folding cartons and corrugated boxes, are leading opportunities for offset packaging printers.
Packaging printers are facing ever shorter deadlines, decreasing run lengths, and multiple SKUs/versioning, along with demands for more sustainability, so they must find new and innovative ways to optimise their processes and increase their value offering. By automating manual tasks with ECO3’s software solutions, offset packaging printing operations can become more economical, more ecological and extra convenient. This will ensure that significant savings can be made on consumables, time and waste, while also delivering the highest print quality and better productivity.
Adding another level of automation to Amfortis, v2 introduces Autofill, a new productivity feature aimed at enhancing the management of versioning. It works by combining different jobs in the best possible sheet layout to maximise press utilisation and speed up lead times. To save on paper for increased sustainability, better handling of bleed overlaps has also been developed, whereby a manual change in one place is automatically applied to all similar overlaps in the same layout.
Automation without the proper control safeguards in place, however, can be problematic, which is why ECO3 has expanded the interface to allow users access to check any measurements within the layout. To speed up the use of these advanced tools, measurements of relative distances can be saved as a parameter set and even added to a sheet layout template.
The measurements also become part of the job report. Amfortis will automatically create a full report of the nested artworks, offering an overview of the whole printed sheet with all details, such as colour bars, dimensions, distances and copy count. The report is included in the job bag, making the information readily available for the customer sales representative (CSR), press operators, finishing departments and dispatch.
Another key improvement is closer integration with ECO3’s innovative smart print management solutions, including the powerful combination of PressTune print standardisation tool for improved quality management and InkTune for optimisation of ink usage, as well as SPIR@L screening technology for more savings on ink, picture-perfect print quality and increased productivity on press.
New in Amfortis v2 is WebApproval, which streamlines communication between print buyers and their customers by offering an easy-to-use tool for viewing and approving print-ready files.
Using a standard web browser on a laptop or tablet, the product manager and other stakeholders can review the design, barcode dimensions and colours. Information can be added to any element that needs changing to ensure that the necessary modifications are made. All actions, such as approvals and comments, are automatically tracked with a full audit trail available, a vital feature especially for customers in the food and pharmaceuticals industries.
AGFA GRAPHICS
Tel: +27 11 921 4684
Email: dave.reynolds@agfa.com
Website: http://www.agfa.com
