Alussa

About this product

Looking for the best possible way to decorate genuine leather, with high-quality and lasting results? Our Alussa inkjet printing process is the way to go. Push the boundaries of leather decoration! More than ever, people are looking for products that let them express their personalities. Alussa is an inkjet printing solution for the high-quality, durable decoration of premium genuine leather. It enables brands – be it in the fashion, interior decoration, or automotive industry – to create customized and personalized leather products. Prints can be anything, from fine line work to vibrant full-color and photorealistic designs. The possibilities are endless. No matter the print, it will not only be stunning, yet also durable. Flexing or rubbing is no issue for prints made with Alussa. REQUEST SAMPLE and/or DEMO Why print digitally on leather? Inkjet printing technology has distinct advantages over other decoration or printing technologies: Any volume: Unlike gravure or screen printing, inkjet requires no ‘master’, so one-off prints become possible. Any design: From detailed vector line work/pattern designs to bold full-color photographical images… Alussa is ideal for customizing and personalizing leather goods. Any color: Up to 500,000 different colors can be obtained by combining printing inks. Agfa’s color software warrants the perfect color match for new projects as well as remakes. White ink makes it possible to print colored images on colored leather. Any time: The start-up time of an inkjet printer is limited to a few minutes. Start sampling or producing right away! A synergy between leather and ink Unlike other leather decoration options, Alussa does not print on finished leather. With good reason. With Alussa, the printing step is integrated directly into the leather production process. The ink is added in between various layers of coating and interacts with the finishing chemistry of the top coat to create a perfect and well-balanced blend. A bit like a cocktail, really. Big plus: Leather decorated with Alussa will not only looks stunning, but also offer the strong rub resistance and high flexibility that genuine high-quality leather products require. Another big plus: By integrating Alussa into the leather production process, tanneries retain full control and can deliver top-quality decorated leather to their customers in record time. Developed in partnership with the leather industry We perfected Alussa in partnership with the leather industry. We explored the leather tanning process and relied on the knowhow and expertise of tanneries to achieve a perfect synergy between inkjet printing and leather production. We also partnered with TFL, a leading company in the field of leather coating chemicals, to gear the tanning coatings to the printing inks. As an Alussa client, you can make use of TFL’s products and expertise to optimize the coatings for your leather and obtain the best performance. Alussa is the first inkjet technology that takes all components of producing quality leathers into account, which is why it performs so well in terms of flexibility and rub resistance. A complete solution with perfectly matched components Printer The Alussa eTU 25 is a high-productivity, industrial printer that features a dedicated transport system for leather. The optional xLF Leather Feeder uses a sticky foil that acts as a carrier to transport the leather through the printing system and broaden the scope of leathers that can be printed on. Inks The leather ink set was developed specifically for genuine leather, and with a focus on performance and health & safety. It is the first ink set for leather free of CMR cat 1 products and skin sensitizing products according to the harmonized system of classification and labelling of chemicals (GHS) Software The workflow software boosts print quality & productivity. It drives and monitors production, and includes powerful tools that guarantee color matching day in/day out. It also comes with smart nesting tools that optimally arrange the artwork on the leather, thus limiting waste. DISCOVER ASANTI Coatings Jointly defined by Agfa & TFL, the optional base & top leather coatings guarantee high performance. You’ll benefit from Agfa’s vast expertise in the field of inkjet technology, workflow & color management, and from TFL’s in-depth knowledge of coating chemistry and application techniques. VISIT TFL WEBSITE See Alussa in action The numbers Extremely high flexibility Up to 100,000 dry flexes Up to 10,000 wet flexes Wide color gamut: up to 600,000+ colors Up to more than 100 m²/hour printing speed Patented technology The only good way to decorate genuine leather with inkjet technology and reach a very good performance is either by using Agfa's Alussa technology or by obtaining a license from Agfa, allowing you to execute the different process steps. Patents are a tool to protect ideas and inventions. The Alussa project started in 2012 with one patent. Today, Agfa has more than 100 granted patents regarding the use of inkjet technology on genuine leather. The basic patent is quite simple: it describes that the inkjet print is applied on genuine leather that is fully finished or already has one or more coating layers (e.g. an adhesive layer, a pigment layer, a ‘stucko’ filling layer… ) and receives an extra fixation with one or more finishing or topcoat layers after applying the inkjet print. Over the past couple of years, this process has become best practice at a lot of companies. Often though, they are not aware that they infringe the Agfa patents and could be held liable for doing so. Great service, extra profit Even the most reliable printing systems need timely service and outstanding support to keep you up and running at all times. We have an expert service team of highly skilled engineers across the globe, who are trained multiple times a year to stay up-to-date on the latest technological adaptations. The fact that they are based locally, means limited travel time, and maximal production uptime for you. In addition, we use online monitoring and diagnostic tools, allowing for remote problem-solving and interventions. Of course, we want you to be able to get the max out of your printing system. That is why we love sharing our expertise with our customers. First of all, we abide by the godparent principle: as we understand that a good start is everything, we support you onsite during start-up and the first production period. Once you are up and running, we offer both standard and customized, advanced training programs. Last but not least, your feedback is important to us: we want to be true partners and capture your experience to keep optimizing the system. Grow your business, not your footprint When developing Alussa, we took care to create a sustainable inkjet printing solution for the decoration of high-quality genuine leather that complies with all relevant health & safety and environmental standards and regulations. READ MORE Get started Starting a new activity or buying new equipment is exciting but we understand that you might want to test the waters first. We offer different plans to start using the Alussa technology in a legitimate way and achieve the best possible partnership with Agfa. Core Fixed core click charge (€/m²) per produced volume, covering consumables and the use of the patent rights No minimum volume commitment Start-up investment to acquire the equipment, SLA (1st year), installation and training Balanced Fixed balanced click charge (€/m²) per produced volume, covering consumables and the use of the patent rights Monthly fee covering the use of the equipment and SLA* for break & fix support A renewable two-year contract The equipment remains property of Agfa NV Start-up investment for transport, installation and training All-inclusive Variable all-inclusive click charge (€/m²) per produced volume, covering equipment, installation, training, consumables, the use of the patent rights and SLA* for break & fix support An annual minimum volume is agreed upon and determines the click charge rate A renewable one-year contract License plan Use your own inkjet set-up from a non-Agfa supplier, and invest in a license to use Agfa’s IP * SLA: Service Level Agreement Gallery <h2 style="text-align: center"