Newspaper publishers can now more easily give their readers more colourful and brighter photos and magazine-like printing quality, and do it in an efficient, cost-effective way that offers their production teams higher performance and the ability to handle a greater range of PDF files. Agfa Graphics today launched Version 9 of the :Arkitex GRAFIX RIP and will be showing it at IFRA EXPO 2011. Agfa Graphics’ :Arkitex GRAFIX RIP, based on the Harlequin RIP from Global Graphics, is the only RIP to feature :Arkitex Sublima, Agfa Graphics’ unique Cross Modulated screening technology.

The new :Arkitex GRAFIX RIP offers increased accuracy of colour output and the ability to run on 64-bit machines, in addition to the higher performance and the greater number of PDF types it can handle.

"We're delighted that Agfa Graphics, the dominant provider of newspaper systems worldwide, is releasing Version 9.0 of the Harlequin RIP. The enhancements found in Version 9.0 will benefit the thousands of customers that Agfa Graphics has been providing product to for many years", said Paul Hagen, Vice-President, Print Sales, Global Graphics Software, Inc.
With :Arkitex Sublima, Agfa's most advanced screening technology, presses can more easily hold a 1 - 99% tonal range at higher frequencies, so it captures the finest details and the most vibrant colours. :Arkitex Sublima allows newspaper publishers to dramatically improve print.

"Agfa has added a greater range of high-quality screens for the V9 RIP :Sublima option, including the ability to run 1800 dpi Sublima screens, and high-quality elliptical dot screens specifically for photopolymer plates", said Barry Landsberg, Product Marketing for newspaper software at Agfa Graphics. "Most of our customers use it on their day-to-day work paper and use over 170 lpi for regular newspapers on various types of paper without additional effort on press."

The new Version 9 also offers:

• Improvements to ROAM functionality
• Enhancements to dongle reading and retry functionality
• Try-Before-You-Buy program is extended to allow existing RIP users to try out V9 before purchase.