Japanese temple doors printed by Agfa

When the Agfa Graphics Japan print experts got the request to print the doors of a Buddhist temple they started on a fascinating journey which taught them about new print technology, materials and colour management. But, they succeeded.
The Byodo-in is a Buddhist temple near Kyoto, Japan and is a world heritage site. The most famous part is the Phoenix Hall originating from the year 1053. When the original paint of the western doors started to fade the chief priest went on a search for restoration. The search took 10 years and ended with Agfa. The Agfa experts were able to print on the new doors which were made from 400 year old cypress wood. As the 1.2m by 2.5m doors weren’t flat, a special technique was developed to print on the curved surface of the frames with the help of a special tool that was created with a 3D printer. The ink was specially developed for this job. The new doors will be mounted on 6 December.