BNN - Badische Neueste Nachrichten (Newspaper Application)

Georg Siepmann (left) of BNN and Klaus Kowalczyk of Agfa.

Building a Strong Business with Agfa Prepress

Building a printing business is like constructing a bridge. It can't be built all at once. It has to be built piece by piece, using the best equipment - so that when the day comes, the structure can support its own weight and the weight of what walks across it. BNN grew their newspaper printing business like the bridge, one piece at a time.

When each technological breakthrough came, BNN was ready to use the technology to grow stronger. The large newspaper, located in Karlsruhe Neureut Germany with 700 employees, trusted Agfa to help them build a new and improved prepress department to support their busy production house. Over the past 6 years, BNN has invested in Agfa's :Polaris XTV CtP systems, :Arkitex workflow and a :Sherpa inkjet proofing system to boost productivity and efficiency. The stronger workflow, like a bridge, has helped support the entire operation.

:Polaris Meets Plate Demands

To support the papers, BNN uses 28,000 square metres of plates every year. Each day approximately 400 plates and 150 blind plates are imaged. In peak times, however, at least 150 plates per hour need to be produced. BNN chose Agfa's Polaris CtP system to supply more plates, at a faster rate for the busy production chain.

"In 1999 we installed the first :Polaris 100 platesetter. We found it to be incredibly reliable and it gave us faster throughput for greater productivity," said BNN's Technical Manager Georg Siepmann.

"It gave us the experience and confidence we needed to explore further CtP and workflow automation."

BNN indeed explored further automation, and in November 2003 purchased a second :Polaris XT unit. They continued to be at the forefront of technology trends when they replaced :Polaris' original FD-YAG green lasers with Agfa's more efficient violet lasers in spring of 2004.

"We immediately noticed better performance on press. The images were more defined. There was more contrast between highlights and dark areas and the print seemed to open up," said Siepmann.

The BNN team was similarly pleased with the strong linearity of the :N91v photopolymer Violet plate system, which they use in conjunction with the :Polaris systems. The plate system allowed BNN to calibrate their two presses accurately, ensuring stable image reproduction time after time. Advertisers were pleased with the results too, noticing that their advertisements were printed with exceptionally high quality.

:Arkitex Workflow Connects All Departments

To help manage the files and connect the workflow, BNN installed Agfa's :Arkitex workflow system in February 2004. It integrated their equipment and production tasks from editorial and advertising to press - including BNN's editorial, production planning, and ink setting systems - for easier control. It was even able to enhance the capabilities of the existing Alfa editorial system by using PDF, JDF and XML standards for seamless file transfer between all departments of the paper.

"When we were deciding on a workflow system we examined all the factors. We wanted to improve quality and increase production, by reducing workflow steps. And we also wanted to save money. :Arkitex fitted our needs exactly," explained Siepmann.

Because of its automated task implementation BNN was able to increase quality and speed using :Arkitex. Repetitive tasks were removed from the workflow which reduced production time and therefore reduced costs. That time was then extended to the editorial department, as deadlines were lengthened to bring the most up-to-date content to readers.

Siepmann noted that a variety of :Arkitex features now help to keep the pages flowing at BNN. :Arkitex's SoftProofing feature allows files to be checked on screen before they go to press. Event tracking ensures all pages in a section that need to travel together can be easily grouped and located through the system, while Priority Handling guarantees that late pages meet the tightest of deadlines. A special versioning and variation feature also helps manage different updates of the same newspaper edition, and efficiently applies last-minute changes to specific regional editions.

While the many features of :Arkitex added efficiency and productivity, it also helped BNN to know that :Arkitex wouldn't have to be thrown out with the introduction of a newer workflow. Instead it can be built piece by piece, adding additional modules for the company's changing needs.

:Sherpa Inkjet Proofing

Pages are RIPped quickly by the :Sherpa Proofer RIP. Fast, full colour proofs are then turned out on the :Sherpa 44m proofer. The 7-colour inkjet system provides high resolution results in minutes. The piezo-electric drop-on-demand inkjet print heads produce colour contract proofs up to 110 mm or 44 inches wide. The fast-printing proofs are approved by BNN's clients, which saves time and reduces the number of errors that could go to press.

The Future for BNN

In addition to transforming their prepress operation with the latest CtP technology and workflow components, BNN plans to examine screening methods and quality enhancement programmes to continue building their state-of the-art newspaper production facility.