Member of FOGRA
„Today KOPA printing house has become a member of FOGRA“
The quality and technology manager of the printing house Jurgita Nikliauzaitė says that participation in the activities of the international association will benefit not only the company but also its customers: being a technology innovator, means being a step ahead than the competition. Innovation includes not only the most advanced equipment, but also the principles and subtleties of using this equipment, without knowing which, even the largest investments can lose meaning. This is why the pursuit of knowledge and sharing it with advanced foreign printing houses or organizations is a proof of maturity of any business.
What is FOGRA, and why it is important for the customers of the printing house that their chosen printing house belongs to this association?
FOGRA – Graphic Technology Research Association – currently brings together approximately 800 companies or divisions of companies working in the printing industry. Most of the members of the Association are German companies, and a third are companies from other countries. FOGRA members generate a coherent need of practice oriented research, with the aim of directly and quickly using the results for delivering higher quality of service to consumers and reducing production costs and waste.
What are the stages and trends of research?
FOGRA defines 4 stages of research:
- Research and development
- Consultacy, testing, and control devices
- Standartisation
- Knowledge transfer and futher education
In the first instance, it is the task of AiF members to investigate questions that might help companies to increase production reliability and quality. These are questions that are of comparable importance to a large number of companies but whose investigation exceeds the capabilities of any single medium-sized company. Joint research therefore provides an appropriate solution.
Subsequently, it is of great importance that the results of the research are transferred. For Fogra this means consistently acting as a provider of services to the printing industry and supporting companies through expert advice, reliable services and a range of high quality training courses and symposia in order to implement the knowledge that has been gained.
The focus of Fogra‘s research
Prepress technology
- Digital reproduction for pictures and colour management
- Control devices for prepress and print
- Acceptance tests of CTP systems and printing machines
Printing techniques
- Diffrent printing techniques, e.g. offset, screen and digital printing
- Modern screening techniques
- Tone value increase, colour and other process parameters
Print finishing & ID-cards
- Bookbinding and print finishing
- Quality properties of ID cards and passport documents
- Functional products, e.g. RFID
- Security features and document security
Materials & Environment
- Physicochemical analyses and deinking
- Consumables (paper, ink, varnish)
- Additives (fountain solutions, cleaning and warnihig agents etc)
Time does not stand still, while printing technology is changing rapidly. We will seek that our acquired knowledge and solutions continue to create value in different spheres of the printing industry: technology, environmental protection and services. Therefore, we hope that our customers will discover and use these changes together with us.