Watgen. Anicolor. A Genuine First!

Watgen SARL came into being in 1960 when Jean-Marie Watgen opened a small printing workshop in Luxembourg. The business grew with the pleasing regularity of a metronome, constantly adjusting to new developments in printing techniques and even playing something of a pioneering role throughout this period.

With the support of his son Mike, Watgen made the business work. In just over a decade, the company made the move to four-colour printing, CtP, Direct Imaging, binding and, since July 2008, Anicolor. In fact, it is the very first Anicolor system of its type in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

"We believe in taking the high-quality option. We specialise to some considerable extent in small print runs, with all the benefits of speed and flexibility that come with it. That's why, in 1996, we invested twice in a Speedmaster DI. At the time, that made us real trendsetters. Then, once the DI had reached its limits, we switched over to Anicolor four-colour plus varnish. It was quite a revelation!"

60 percent of Watgen's work is done for large state and financial institutions, with the remaining 40 percent for advertising agencies. These are two different types of client with recurring needs, but both highly demanding in terms of quality. "Our Speedmaster CD 74 five-colour press with varnish and Prinect Axis Control gave us what we needed for medium-sized and larger runs for jobs such as magazines, annual reports and general printwork. But, in fact, we needed a machine that could handle high-quality jobs with small print runs. The quality provided by the DI was no longer sufficient, because client requests in that area were becoming increasingly more specialised. Which is why we started up a study with Plantin on Anicolor."

The system analysis carried out jointly by the Luxembourg printer and the Heidelberg importer quickly led to a number of conclusions. The quality is indisputable, but using Anicolor has a number of other advantages, especially for proofs. "The operator doesn't need to get involved as often as with a traditional press. That, of course, means he has to have fewer qualifications, but it also assumes that the files provided are flawless and the colorimetric settings perfect. Which is why we have developed test forms for all types of paper." This means that Anicolor involves a different way of working and provides a stricter environment for rationalisation and standardisation. Yet the right level of quality is still there. "The study produced very good results. We have been working in two shifts since September, using ThermoFuse-plates and the same K+E inks and on all paper types - even envelopes. We also hear that Pantone colours are soon to be made available. I believe that with our present range of facilities - CtP, CD and Anicolor - we are really at the top of what is currently possible in terms of quality and flexibility."
 
But that did not mean there would be no more (pleasant) surprises. The assumption was that with its absolute consistency in ink transfer, Anicolor could also provide quality solutions for long print runs. Watgen's experience demonstrates that this is true. "Anicolor is suited perfectly for other jobs. The way we work, runs on this press vary from 100 to 20,000 and even as many as 40,000. It's a genuine production machine that provides the ideal way of taking the pressure off our Speedmaster CD 74: everything is possible on it, from a brochure printed in a single colour, to large quantities that require multiple plate changes. It's versatile, easy to use, fast with colour and reliable. Some print jobs are finished in 15 minutes. The printing quality of the solid areas is astounding, regardless of the paper type, even with textured paper or recycled material."

Watgen also promotes its pioneering image in the finishing department. The company has just installed a Eurobind 600 binding machine that is the first of its kind in Belgium and Luxembourg. "We want to be able to do all of our binding work in-house. It's a question of combining convenience, responsiveness and quality - all at the same time."