Bath-based branding and signage provider, Freestyle Designs has become the first UK customer to install the new Agfa Anapurna Ciervo H3200 print engine, unveiled earlier this year, becoming an Agfa Beta site.
The print engine is a hybrid wide-format inkjet printer, designed with a 3.2m print width to handle rigid and roll media for indoor and outdoor applications. Its dual roll ability allows for printing two-up as required and, with improved tension, expands the range of media choices for the print operative. The printer, powered by the Asanti workflow software, features 16 ink jet heads and uses ‘Thin Ink Layer Technology’ to help minimise ink consumption.
Outlined by Agfa, the machine’s productivity stems from its ability to continuously board feed while printing on up to four boards simultaneously. The printer’s borderless printing reduces the need for post-finishing, and it can achieve pre-white, sandwich white, and post-white in one run.
Freestyle Display were impressed by the quality produced at high speed
Founder of Freestyle Design, Jason Godridge, first saw the machine in 2023 under a non-disclosure agreement. Impressed with what he saw, and following a few virtual meetings after, the company placed an order for the machine in March 2024 which was then installed a month later in April.
Mr Godridge said the decision to invest in the printer was aided by the company’s decision in 2021, when it replaced an old flatbed Mimaki machine with a 2.5m Anapurna model; a game changer, he said.
Following relocation to a larger premises 18 months ago, the company needed a printer that could handle larger materials and improve print speeds, Mr Godridge added. Looking for a printer that can handle up to 3m, the company narrowed its options down to EFI and Agfa. Freestyle went with the 3.2m Agfa Anapurna Ciervo – making a £200,000 investment – because it was faster, used less ink and is similar to the previous model, making it an easy transition for the company, Mr Godridge concluded.
James Argent, Agfa sales manager (South), commented, ‘As this was the first installation of an Anapurna Ciervo in the UK, we decided to relocate their old Anapurna to a different area of the production unit while keeping it operational, to provide our customer with peace of mind and to ensure no downtime for their business. We then installed the new, larger engine in its place. The installation went smoothly, requiring minimal training as the new Anapurna Ciervo essentially works the same as their old engine; it is powered by the Asanti workflow and has the same Graphic User Interface making the transition for the print operatives easy. In reality, since the install, the old Anapurna has been mostly unused, and we are now preparing to take it away for resale.’
