Manerbio

Mortsel (Belgium), March 11, 2004--Agfa-Gevaert announces it has reached an agreement under which it will acquire all the shares of Microgran S.r.l., the holding company owning Lastra S.p.A. The transaction is subject to approval of regulatory authorities. Lastra is an Italian manufacturer of plates, related chemicals and equipment for the offset printing industry. Headquartered in Manerbio, Italy, its sales in 2003 totaled approximately 240 million Euros. The company entered the digital plate market through its acquisition in 2002 of U.S.-based Western Litho Plate &Supply Co. Lastra currently has six factories, in Italy and the U.S., and employs around 900 people. The transaction will be financed