Agfa :Anapurna XLS reviews to start at DRUPA 2008

The Agfa :Anapurna XLS has been announced. As soon as it is possible to see this printer in a demo room or at its factory, we will initiate a basic review and price comparisons.

The predecessor, the Anapurna 100, was my favorite printer at FESPA 2005 in Munich. But at that early date there was too much that was too new and different, so it required re-doing significant portions of the hardware and software. This involved switching the production from the Mutoh Europe factory to a non-Mutoh factory (hopefully also in Europe). But with so many improvements, yet with the past history of uncertainty, I need to inspect it away from the hectic of a busy trade show.

In the meantime, the competition in this price range is crowded. Durst has introduced several new UV printers: Rho 700, Rho 800, etc. I had the opportunity to spend an entire week at the two Durst factories, in Lienz and Brixen. So it was possible to issue comprehensive reports on these printers. Indeed I will be at the Durst factories again this week (September 2008).

The Dainippon Screen Truepress jet2500UV is also now available. It too has many innovative features (but quite different than those of the Agfa :Anapurna XLS). I anticipate being able to inspect the Screen 2500UV in Kyoto later this year. I used to live near Kyoto in Osaka, so am familiar with Japanese capability for engineering.

Also at the high-end, the Spuhl Virtu RS and the L&P Virtu HD8 are both impressive technologies. These two precision machines are literally state-of-the-art. It was possible to spend an entire day testing the Spuhl printer in Switzerland and two of us from FLAAR tested the Virtu HD8 recently at it's factory in Florida. We were there with two different printshop owners who were interested in obtaining this printer. Both are readers of the FLAAR Reports.

Agfa :Anapurna XLS printer at DRUPA 2008.

Although it has been possible to inspect dozens of UV-curable printers in their factories, for the Agfa :Anapurna XLS, the main thing I have learned is from a printshop owner that inspected the Agfa :Anapurna XLS in detail. He wrote to tell me that he was very disappointed, and I was very surprised at how poorly the printer performed for him. As a result this printshop owner dropped the Anapurna XLS from his list of potential candidates to purchase.

With all the new models available at ISA and FESPA 2010, FLAAR is offering personalized consulting at each trade show. You can walk-the-floor with the Senior Editor of FLAAR and get his comments on any and all printers, inks, RIP software, color management, substrates, applications, etc. So if you wish to learn about the difference between combo, hybrid, and dedicated UV printers, how latex ink compares, about textile printers, etc. contact FLAAR to obtain consulting. You can also get consulting before ISA or FESPA anywhere in the world: Dr Hellmuth was in Dubai and India last week as consultant, and will be in Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and China as consultant in the next two months. He was consulting in Korea and London in late 2009.

Another new offering in the price range of the Agfa printer is the GCC StellarJet K100UV. I have seen the predecessor during one week inspecting GCC in Taiwan. Plus I did a site-visit case study of the GCC StellarJet 250UV (printing ceramic tiles, the best I have seen anywhere).

The IP&I Cube 260 is another printer comparable to the Agfa :Anapurna XLS. I have inspected two printshops that are successfully using the Cube 260. I have also inspected the IP&I factory over a several day period.

For the US market, a competitor later this year will be the Flora 25UV, since it now has a US distributor. I spent two days at the world headquarters of this distributor in the US the week after DRUPA. FLAAR will have a report on the US version of the Flora 25UV as soon as the US version is ready (later in 2008).

VUTEk has sold over 300 units of its QS2000 and QS3200 combo-style UV printers. It was possible to visit VUTEk three times during 2007, so we have abundant information from being able to test this VUTEk printer in person. The 300 units does not count sales in 2008 (which have decreased due to all the new competition, plus the QS is now almost two years old and FLAAR is not issuing updates on old printers because newer inks and newer technologies are of more interest to us).

Because so many printshops ask for assistance, a trade show is only a first step. The Agfa :Anapurna XLS looked good at DRUPA, but the real test is to do our own print samples in their demo room, visit the factory, and learn more about its features in peace and quiet far from the crowded aisles of DRUPA.

The Anapurna: XLS is the new combo model from Agfa at DRUPA 2008. As soon as it is possible to have a demo room visit or factory visit, a report on this printer will be issued.

 

Agfa :Anapurna XLS was exhibited at VISCOM Italy 2008.

 

 

Updated September 19, 2008.

First posted March 31, 2008. Updated June 16, 2008, August 12, 2008.