Agfa joins Paperboard Packaging Council to advance digital folding carton printing

NORTH AMERICA – Agfa has become a member of the Paperboard Packaging Council, contributing its digital inkjet and workflow automation expertise as the company expands into folding carton printing with the SpeedSet Orca single-pass water-based inkjet press.

The membership follows Agfa’s strategic move into folding carton production, with the SpeedSet Orca delivering print quality comparable to offset while achieving output of up to 11,000 B1 sheets per hour.

The machine is compatible with a broad range of substrates, positioning it as a versatile solution for converters seeking to integrate digital production into their folding carton operations.

What Agfa Brings to the PPC

The Paperboard Packaging Council offers member companies support in advocacy, industry contacts, and education, with a focus on cooperation and development in the folding carton sector.

As part of PPC, Agfa will contribute its knowledge of digital inkjet technology, colour management, and workflow automation, areas where traditional paperboard converters have historically relied on analogue processes.

Richard Cotterill, Agfa’s packaging sales head, explained that meaningful progress in the folding carton sector starts with open dialogue and a commitment to shared learning.

He noted that joining the PPC enables Agfa to engage directly with converters, listen to the challenges they face, and work together on solutions that bring tangible business value.

He added that Agfa looks forward to sharing insights from the SpeedSet Orca ecosystem while learning from converters about evolving customer expectations.

The SpeedSet Orca Advantage

The SpeedSet Orca represents Agfa’s entry into the digital folding carton market, a segment traditionally dominated by offset lithography.

Single-pass water-based inkjet technology allows for variable data printing, shorter runs, and faster turnaround times without the setup costs associated with analogue printing plates.

For brand owners, this means greater flexibility in packaging design, faster time-to-market for seasonal products, and the ability to personalise packaging at scale.

Strategic Context

Based in Mortsel, Belgium, Agfa’s activities span five business units: digital printing solutions, film and chemicals, digital radiology solutions, green hydrogen solutions, and healthcare IT.

The company’s main production and research sites are in Belgium, the US, Canada, Germany, Austria, China, and Brazil, with wholly owned sales operations in more than 40 countries.

The Packaging Takeaway

For North American folding carton converters, Agfa’s PPC membership signals that digital inkjet is no longer a peripheral technology but a core competency for the sector’s future.

As the SpeedSet Orca demonstrates, the line between offset quality and digital flexibility has blurred.

The question for converters is no longer whether to adopt digital, but how quickly they can integrate it, and Agfa just joined the conversation to help answer exactly that.

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