Kodak to Display Print’s Flexible Future at drupa 2008

DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY—Jan. 17—Flexible solutions that help print providers develop the right production system for their unique business and customer needs—regardless of the type of technology they choose—will be the focus of Kodak’s presence at drupa 2008.

The company’s stand, D01, in Hall 5 will showcase a wide range of hardware and software innovations that generate revenue, profit, growth, and business opportunities for print service providers and their clients, reinforcing print’s role at the heart of successful communications campaigns under the banner of “print is powerful.”

“We are excited about going to drupa 2008 with such a strong range of new products and featuring our complete Graphic Communications Group portfolio for the first time at a drupa event,” said Philip J. Faraci, President and Chief Operating Officer, Eastman Kodak Company. “We listen carefully to our customers, and their requirement for a certain standard of quality, reliability and throughput, together with a known cost of operation, has been the driver for us in delivering offset class solutions to help them grow their businesses and take advantage of new profit opportunities.”

Kodak is the only supplier with conventional and digital solutions operating within a comprehensive and proven unified workflow that intelligently automates and integrates business, data, color and production processes to provide customers with the highest levels of efficiency. In addition to its products and services for the commercial printing market, Kodak’s exhibit at drupa 2008 will include scanners and software for document imaging applications.

Featured Solutions: Digital Printing

New and established electrophotographic and inkjet systems that enable print providers to expand capabilities and applications using digital technology will be on display at Kodak’s drupa stand.

Electrophotographic Systems

Offset class solutions for short run and variable data printing, spanning black and white and color in sheetfed and roll fed systems, will be featured in the electrophotographic technology section. Whether ready to start with digital printing or move to the next level, print providers can take advantage of trends in color, versioning, shorter runs and variable data with a range of presses within the KODAK NEXPRESS Digital Color Platform.

A new series of S-Class branded KODAK NEXPRESS Digital Production Color Presses leads the list of innovations, productivity and feature enhancements, and workflow applications Kodak is bringing to the electrophotographic side of the digital printing market. The KODAK NEXPRESS S3000, S2500 and S2100 Digital Production Color Presses bring a new level of modularity to the digital production color market, offering flexible front end options, input and output accessories, unique security application capabilities and on site upgradeability.

Small to mid-sized print providers that want to efficiently and productively produce short run digital color work, as well as incorporate variable data and in-line finishing, can choose from new accessories for the KODAK NEXPRESS M700 Digital Color Press. Options include a feeder module, finisher, saddle stitcher, booklet trimmer, puncher unit, document inserter unit, and a high capacity delivery configuration.

An extensive line of new front-end systems for NEXPRESS Presses, new versions for the KODAK NEXPRESS V and KODAK NEXPRESS Vp Front Ends, and a new NEXPRESS Vcs Front End will also be on display. The NEXPRESS V and Vp Front Ends, using the ADOBE PDF Print Engine, and the NEXPRESS Vcs Front End, using software from Kodak’s Print On Demand Solutions (PODS) Group, fit seamlessly with the widest range of workflow applications.

The NEXPRESS S-Series Presses, namely the NEXPRESS S3000 and S2500 Presses, as well as the NEXPRESS M700 Press, will be on display. Glossing, fifth color option, and software and substrate flexibility make NEXPRESS Presses ideal for applications requiring outstanding quality, such as annual reports and photobooks. NEXPRESS Presses benefit from the KODAK Unified Workflow solutions and the unparalleled Operator Replaceable Component product architecture, which enables printers to optimize margins and productivity.

Print providers in the production cut-sheet black and white market can integrate new workflows, expand finishing services, and improve the overall reliability of their black and white operations with enhancements to the KODAK DIGIMASTER EX Digital Production Systems. New Print Production Software improves workflow efficiency by providing support for JDF capability, while expanded support for the integration of the KODAK PRINERGY Workflow System 5.0 extends connectivity to all digital production systems with a range of powerful new features designed for the specific demands of digital applications. New features include Smart Lists, a revolutionary job queue management tool designed to optimize productivity and provide operators with total bidirectional job visibility down to the KODAK NEXPRESS Digital Color Production Presses.

Print engine enhancements designed to improve overall performance to the DIGIMASTER EX Digital Production Systems also enable the ability to print on a wide variety of substrates. The addition of the Watkiss SpineMaster accessory to the DIGIMASTER EX System’s booklet maker allows printers to finish documents with a high quality, professional appearance without the additional cost of perfect binding.

Inkjet Printing Systems

Through innovative technology enhancements in color, speed and quality, high volume inkjet printing has expanded into a wide range of applications such as direct mail addressing and imprinting, barcoding, newspapers, packaging, book printing and TransPromo communications.

Kodak will demonstrate the next generation of continuous inkjet technology as it displays the KODAK Stream Concept Press publicly for the first time at drupa 2008. The higher resolution, smaller ink droplet size, and faster generations of drops involved in Stream Technology will take inkjet technology to offset class quality, productivity and cost.

With Stream Technology, mild heat fluctuations of the surface of the ink results in the formation of ink droplets at high speed. Capable of producing 2,500 A4 (letter sized) pages per minute, Stream Technology uses pigment inks to provide permanence on coated papers and a range of other commercial printing substrates.

The latest expansion of the KODAK VERSAMARK V-Series Printing Systems portfolio brings higher resolution to Kodak’s inkjet line and provides an affordable solution for the mid volume range of bill and statement producers. The new KODAK VERSAMARK VL2000 Printing System targets data centers with volumes of more than 1 million per month of transactional, promotional and TransPromo documents, such as billing, account statements, and direct mail. The VERSAMARK VL2000 System employs drop-on-demand print technology with image resolution of 600 x 600 dpi and operates at maximum production capacity of 1,090 A4 (letter sized) impressions per minute.

KODAK Stream Concept Press and the VERSAMARK VL2000 Printing System will be driven by new front ends from Kodak’s PODS Group.

Another growth segment, hybrid applications, utilizes inkjet print heads mounted on offset presses to place variable data on materials as they’re printed.

Featured Solutions: Prepress

Kodak’s broad range of prepress solutions¸ including proofing systems, CTP platesetters, digital plates, and the widely accepted KODAK PRINERGY Workflow System for offset and flexographic printing, will be on display at drupa 2008.

Kodak offers digital halftone, inkjet and virtual proofing systems. The KODAK APPROVAL NX Digital Color Imaging System will be on display with a new set of extended gamut donors that meet the demanding needs of packaging customers. Additionally, Kodak will unveil new features of KODAK Proofing Software that allow customers in the commercial and packaging segments to successfully proof the most challenging color jobs both on popular inkjet printers and with the KODAK APPROVAL Digital Color Proofing System.

Kodak will also show a number of its industry leading solutions for digital plate production, including KODAK MAGNUS and TRENDSETTER Platesetters. KODAK Platesetters utilize KODAK SQUARESPOT Imaging Technology to provide exceptionally high resolution images and superior imaging stability. In addition, KODAK STACCATO Screening offers high fidelity, continuous tone images that exhibit fine detail and an extended color gamut.

At drupa 2008, Kodak will unveil the fastest and most productive addition to its KODAK MAGNUS 800 Platesetter line. The KODAK MAGNUS 800Z QUANTUM Platesetter images up to 60 8-page plates per hour at the highest image quality available in the industry. In addition, the platesetter has a new, advanced thermal head that generates double the laser power of its MAGNUS Platesetter predecessors.

In response to the emergence of the extremely wide format market and the adoption of presses with formats as wide as 80 pages and beyond, Kodak will introduce an XLF platesetter in the first quarter of 2008. The KODAK MAGNUS XLF 80 QUANTUM Platesetter supports extremely large formats up to 80 pages. The MAGNUS XLF 80 Platesetter is based on the market leading KODAK MAGNUS VLF Platesetter, which is the fastest fully automated very large format platesetter on the market. The MAGNUS XLF 80 Platesetter will offer all of the features that are critically important to wide format commercial printing operations, including high speeds of up to 48 plates per hour at resolutions of 2,400 dpi.

For packaging converters, Kodak is expanding the capabilities of the KODAK FLEXCEL NX Digital Flexographic System. The FLEXCEL NX System will now be able to produce plates up to a maximum size of 800 x 1067 mm, allowing converters to use it for a broader range of applications. The FLEXCEL NX Digital Flexographic System is designed to deliver greater latitude on press, improving the consistency and repeatability of the printed result. Capable of high resolution flexographic printing, it provides previously unachievable offset class print quality on a wide variety of substrates, including paper, flexible film, foil, and label stock.

Kodak is a global leader in digital plates and at drupa will demonstrate significant advances that strengthen this position. Visitors will be able to see the latest innovations in Kodak’s no preheat positive plate technology.

In addition, drupa visitors will see technology advances that support sustainability. Currently, KODAK THERMAL DIRECT Non Process Plates help customers reduce environmental impact by eliminating the need for a plate processor and processing chemistry. Customers can lower their water and electricity usage and remove the negative environmental impacts of chemistry transportation and disposal. Building on the success of THERMAL DIRECT Non Process Plates, Kodak will expand the family of plates that support sustainability. New plate technologies will allow a broader group of printers to move toward a positive green footprint and extend the non process technology to other segments of the printing industry.

In addition to introducing new CTP solutions, Kodak announces that it will expand its plate manufacturing facility in Xiamen, China, with the addition of a second production line. Opened just two months ago, the state of the art facility produces both digital and conventional printing plates. The opening and expansion of the Xiamen facility is in response to the growing demand for KODAK Plates worldwide, as well as part of Kodak’s commitment to provide plate production close to customers and tailor product to local needs.

Featured Solutions: Unified Workflow

Kodak’s efficient, comprehensive Unified Workflow solutions, which intelligently automate and integrate business, data, color and production processes for both conventional and digital production, will be featured at drupa 2008.

A series of new features and functions in the KODAK PRINERGY Workflow System 5.0 allows users to process static and variable data printing (VDP) jobs through the same workflow, manage end to end color on multiple devices, and automate complex routines in print production workflows. The PRINERGY Workflow System 5.0 features a revolutionary new digital print management tool designed to optimize productivity for digital applications, and for the first time delivers a comprehensive solution integrating both conventional and digital workflows. The PRINERGY Workflow System 5.0 also features a new color handling platform designed to simplify and automate color management tasks by integrating ICC profiles, calibration curves and color recipes into one single device based print condition.

With the introduction of the newest versions of KODAK INSITE Variable Data Desktop Software Version 4.0 and the KODAK PRINERGY Digital Print System Version 5.0, Kodak will extend the capability of its Unified Workflow solutions to encompass the planning, creating, and executing of personalized, integrated marketing campaigns.

The KODAK INSITE family delivers support for both inbound and outbound channels to offer a comprehensive communication solution including Personalized URL (PURL) support, variable email, personalized landing pages and VDP. Tight integration to the KODAK PRINERGY Digital Print System delivers the intelligent automation required to fulfill the printed components in an “ultraefficient” way to maximize profitability and effectiveness.

KODAK DARWIN Software will serve as the content creation tool and collaboration platform with KODAK INSITE Software Version 4.0. DARWIN Version 3.0 software includes robust features to streamline the process of creative content development while giving higher productivity to users with advanced and professional VDP requirements.

As part of Kodak’s Unified Workflow solutions, KODAK EMS Business Software for enterprise resource planning (ERP) and management information system (MIS) functions is now commercially available in North America. EMS Business Software provides management for the totality of a printer’s business and serves as a catalyst for change, creating business efficiency and delivering real time access to key productivity indicators that help drive business growth and success in today’s dynamic business environment.

KODAK Products are backed by KODAK Service and Support. KODAK Service and Support is made up of more than 3,000 professionals reaching more than 120 countries. It is a leading multi-vendor integrated services provider, delivering consulting, installation, maintenance and support services for the commercial printing, graphic communications, document imaging and data storage industries. KODAK Service and Support professionals are uniquely qualified to provide services that control costs, maximize productivity, and minimize business risk.

About Eastman Kodak Company
Kodak is the world’s foremost imaging innovator. With sales of $10.7 billion in 2006, the company is committed to a digitally oriented growth strategy focused on helping people better use meaningful images and information in their life and work. Consumers use Kodak’s system of digital and traditional products and services to take, print and share their pictures anytime, anywhere; Businesses effectively communicate with customers worldwide using KODAK solutions for prepress, conventional and digital printing and document imaging; and Creative Professionals rely on KODAK technology to uniquely tell their story through moving or still images.

More information about Kodak (NYSE: EK) is available at www.kodak.com