AJ Images Grows 20% with Agfa Partnership

Agfa’s (Booth C8130) ECO³ software solution has been an important part of the company’s growth and success.

AJ Images is an award-winning, full-service, family-owned commercial printing company based in Roselle, NJ. Founded in 1967, the company offers personalized printing and binding services to a wide variety of customers.

A long-time user of Agfa’s Apogee Workflow software, AJ Images decided to make their print production even more cost-effective, ecological, and profitable. It implemented Agfa’s ECO³ program, including PressTune and InkTune . ECO³ focuses on three factors to achieve sustainable innovation: ecology, economy, and extra convenience.

More stability on press

InkTune integrates into the prepress workflow during the rendering process to apply GCR (grey component replacement) and replaces expensive CMY inks with more economical black ink. This technique also results in improved consistency, higher printing speeds, and faster drying times, improving quality while reducing environmental impact.

Aharon Greebel, VP at AJ Images, was first impressed by InkTune’s ability to create an ideal environment for applying GCR. “We are able to maintain stability on press more easily than the conventional four-color process. We have faster, more convenient makereadies, and it’s easier for the press operator to come to color, maintain grey balance, and sustain consistent color with InkTune,” he explains.

Print G7 standards consistently

To optimize color control, AJ Images also implemented PressTune, Agfa’s print standardization and audit tool. 

PressTune contains powerful analytic capabilities based on lab values obtained through spectrophotometer measurement tools. A score is then automatically calculated by PressTune, enabling the objective evaluation of printing jobs according to specific standards. This reduces inefficiencies by eliminating subjective evaluations. In addition, this unique tool ensures that jobs are consistently printed to ISO, G7, and client-specific specifications.

The application automatically displays print quality data collected directly from the press during manufacturing, enabling the press operator to assess quality and take action accordingly. PressTune’s capabilities help identify, diagnose, and address issues before they become problematic. Furthermore, prepress and pressroom managers can corroborate and update tonal curves based on overall trends, resulting in faster production and greater consistency.