Agfa to reduce impact of its printing plate price increase

Agfa Graphics (Mortsel, Belgium) has announced a global price increase program for its prepress printing plates. Depending on the different contracts, markets and regions worldwide, price increases of up to 10% will be implemented immediately, said the OEM. “Soaring prices of aluminum – the largest cost component of a printing plate ­- are the main reason for this decision,” said Stefaan Vanhooren, President of Agfa Graphics. “However, thanks to the increased intrinsic recycle value of the used printing plates, the price increase will not necessarily result in a cost increase for our customers. We know our customers highly value Agfa Graphics’ continuous investment in advanced prepress technology and related services – such as in the newly launched ECO3 framework that stands for Economy, Ecology and Extra Convenience – which lead to substantial economic benefits in their print shop. That’s why we believe our customers will understand the rationale behind these price-increase actions.”