Kodak Exceeds Newspaper Printer’s Expectations with Complete CTP Solution

ROCHESTER, NY—April 7—Bridge City Publishing, Inc., publisher of the Mobridge, SD-based Mobridge Tribune, found the sweet spot in moving to CTP with Kodak’s mix of outstanding customer service, rapid installation time and an efficient, complete solution. From the moment Bridge City Publishing started making the transition from analog to digital production, the Mobridge Tribune was impressed with the degree of service it received from Kodak.

Needing to become more efficient and open up time slots on their press was a driving factor for Bridge City Publishing to implement a CTP workflow. The printer was still using an imagesetter, which required a lot of time spent on manually stripping film. Bridge City Publishing’s president Larry Atkinson evaluated five different vendors in his search to convert to a CTP system.

“Kodak was the clear winner,” Atkinson said. “The ‘bang for our buck’ we were getting with Kodak for our investment was the best. Kodak provided the most cost-effective solution and it came with the most ‘bells and whistles.’ Plus, Kodak offered true chemistry-free platemaking, which was important to us; I like to be ‘green’ whenever possible. Installing the total solution from one vendor helped make the switch to digital simple and straightforward.”

Bridge City Publishing installed a Kodak Trendsetter News Thermal Platesetter with KODAK PF-N Non Process Plates. The non process plates with reduced environmental impact also save the printer time that used to be spent on processing chemicals. Additionally, reducing the pieces of prepress equipment from five to one frees up floor space inside its facilities.

In addition to the CTP products, Bridge City Publishing also selected Kodak Prinergy EVO Workflow with Advanced Pre-flighting and Kodak Staccato Screening and Kodak Ink Optimizing Service.

Bridge City Publishing was established in 1907. The company is a member of the PAGE Cooperative, which comprises more than 3,000 newspapers around the country, including more than 570 dailies and 1,100 non-daily publishing facilities. In addition to printing 12 weeklies, with distribution in both North and South Dakota, Bridge City Publishing houses a promotional products sales agency. Atkinson is always looking to grow his business, and the solution from Kodak helps with his efforts.

“We’re going to end up with huge prepress labor savings, which will help us keep our costs very competitive,” Atkinson said. “Our image quality is among the best in the area now, and with more space on the press opening up, I can go out and actively seek new business. We’re hoping to bring three or four new customers on right away.”

In his decision-making process, Atkinson sought insights from fellow PAGE members, as well as other customers for whom Kodak provided contact information. The positive feedback Atkinson received from his peers about working with Kodak proved true.

“It was the smoothest and best transition into new equipment that I’ve been a part of in the 40 years I’ve been in the newspaper industry,” Atkinson said. “Every single member of the Kodak team delivered a level of service that far exceeded our expectations and made us feel like we were their most important customer. After deciding to purchase in late November, we needed to have everything installed by the end of the year. Everyone—from sales to service and support—helped us reach our goal, installing hardware and software during the year-end holiday break.”

The Kodak Trendsetter News Platesetter comes in three speeds, ranging from 80 to more than 150 plates per hour to suit newspaper printing facilities of all sizes. Newspapers can choose models with manual plate loading and unloading, manual loading and automatic unloading, or automatic loading and unloading.

The Kodak PF-N Non Process Plate provides the resolution, reliability and imaging accuracy of thermal, digital plates without the need to install and maintain a plate processor. Kodak Prinergy Evo Workflow is an affordable PDF workflow system for controlling prepress, plate, and film production with customizable configurations.

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, data storage, and retail industries. Kodak Service and Support professionals are uniquely qualified to provide services that control costs, maximize productivity, and minimize business risk.

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