The new Kodak Nexpress SX Digital Production Color Press will make its European premiere at Hunkeler Innovation Days 2011. The event marks the first time the system has been on show at a major European B2B trade show. The biennial show attracts an international audience from a range of industries, and is particularly relevant for printers interested in transactional/transpromo printing, newspaper and book printing, and direct marketing applications.
The new Kodak Nexpress SX Digital Production Color Platform with Print Genius offers improved quality and productivity, and has been designed to meet the needs of commercial printers, in-plant printers, and data centers. New features include speeds up to 131 ppm, a longer sheet size (660 millimeters), smaller ink particle size with the new Kodak Nexpress HD Dry Ink, denser black ink, new Fifth Imaging Unit Solution Light Black, and a new matte printing effect option.
At 660 mm, the long sheet option—which will be on show at Hunkeler Innovation Days—delivers 27 percent more printable area. The benefits of this longer sheet include: reduced waste and increased productivity, and enable new applications such as six-page brochures, posters, larger dust jackets for books, and a variety of labels.
"The Hunkeler show is all about innovation, so it couldn't be a better event for showcasing the new Nexpress SX Platform," says Mark Clark, regional business manager & VP Digital Printing Solutions EAMER at Kodak. "Its new features enable print service providers to work more efficiently and increase productivity, plus it helps them strengthen relationships with customers as they can offer them higher value products."
The Kodak Nexpress HD Dry Ink with smaller ink particles reduces grain and provides smoother continuous tones for photo-quality output. In addition, Light Black HD Dry Ink, which is now available for the Fifth Imaging Unit, uses proprietary algorithms to substitute the light black for specific colors, resulting in smoother skin tones while maintaining superb detail. The matte effect is a new option, completed in line, and produces a matte look for printed pages or photos.
Featuring a monthly duty cycle of more than 4 million pages and print speeds of 91, 109 or 131 ppm when printing on 660 mm long sheets, the Nexpress SX Platform prints on more than 600 standard offset substrates, including: coated, uncoated, FSC, plastics, magnets, linens, static clings, micro-perforated, substrates, and more.
The Fifth Imaging Unit enables watermarking, protection coating, glossing, MICR printing, gamut expansion, raised printing, or red fluorescing ink for security applications. In addition, high-quality glossing is possible using Kodak Nexpress Clear Dry Ink in conjunction with the near-line Kodak Nexpress Glossing Unit.
"From variable data printing to Dimensional Printing to security printing and everything in between, Kodak has a solution that meets the needs of our customers," added Clark. "Based on the needs of their existing clients and the potential in their local markets, they can decide which features are right for them, and know that the results will be outstanding. They are certainly differentiating themselves from the competition with these devices."
The next generation Kodak Nexpress Intelligent Calibration System (ICS) delivers consistent high quality while minimizing downtime and costs by reducing the need for replacement parts. The ICS is at the core of a closed-loop quality control system that maintains accurate color reproduction and increases image quality. In addition, the system uses industry-leading LED imaging heads, an inline scanner, and software based on Kodak's proprietary image science to ensure automatic color management while the press is printing.
Like all Nexpress Presses, the Nexpress SX Platform features Print Genius, a suite of productivity and quality control tools and options that automate tasks and help users maintain peak quality throughout their production run. The Print Genius quality suite encompasses hardware, software and material science innovations to optimize quality and consistency from the first sheet to the last, day after day.
Kodak Products are backed by Kodak Service and Support. Kodak Service and Support is made up of more than 3,000 professionals in 120 countries. It is a leading multi-vendor integrated services provider, delivering consulting, installation, maintenance and support services for 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.