Expanded KODAK NEXPRESS Platform Offers Powerful Choices to Customers for Digital Printing Growth

With the industry’s most powerful portfolio of color presses, workflow systems and service expertise, Kodak makes it easy for print providers to choose the best technology and solutions for increasing revenue potential, enhancing productivity, and delivering outstanding quality. New additions to the KODAK NEXPRESS Digital Color Platform deliver on that promise.

Kodak announces the addition of two new KODAK NEXPRESS Digital Color Presses, the latest version of the KODAK NEXSTATION Front End, and a new roll feeder option to the NEXPRESS platform of color presses. There are now five digital color presses with varying specifications on the NEXPRESS platform, with each driven by the common, scaleable NEXSTATION front end.

The NEXPRESS presses benefit from Kodak’s Unified Workflow solutions and the unparalleled Operator Replaceable Component product architecture, which enables printers to take control of their print operations. KODAK MARKETMOVER Business Development Services provide an expanded range of innovative tools, resources, and support to enable NEXPRESS press customers to maximize their return on investment in new technologies and achieve dynamic business growth.

“Expanding the NEXPRESS platform of digital color printing solutions enables customers to enter the digital printing market and expand their digital printing business by selecting the NEXPRESS press that meets their current business needs and sets them on a course for growth,” said James Langley, President, Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group, and Senior Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company. “By extending the KODAK NEXPRESS Digital Color Platform, we’re helping customers develop the ideal digital printing solution for their unique volume, performance, speed, and application requirements.”

Two New Presses

The NEXPRESS digital color platform now extends from a mid-level press to a series of increasingly higher volume presses. The KODAK NEXPRESS M700 Digital Color Press, launching at the 2007 ON DEMAND Exposition, appeals to print providers who want to profitably enter the digital printing business with short run color, web to print, and variable data print capabilities. The NEXPRESS M700 digital color press offers customers the security to migrate to higher volume presses and features as they grow their businesses.

The four color press runs at 70 pages per minute for the full range of supported substrate types (coated, uncoated, synthetics, and selected offset paper) and weights (64-300 gsm). Targeted monthly print volumes range from 50,000 to 150,000 A4 pages. The NEXPRESS M700 digital color press allows simplex and perfecting modes to run at machine rated speed.

It produces output with excellent quality text and graphics, high density, a wide color gamut and high resolution (1200 x 1200 dpi). The combination of wax based dry ink and a dual fusing system yields high impact documents across a wide range of applications that include marketing collateral, direct mail, photos books and business documents.

The NEXPRESS M700 digital color press handles mixed media from five paper feeders accommodating a sheet capacity of 6,000, and delivers output to a high capacity delivery system that holds 6,000 sheets. The M700 will be available in the United States and Canada at this time.

Kodak also introduces the KODAK NEXPRESS S3000 Digital Production Color Press as the new high end production press in the NEXPRESS platform. Customers have an easy path for growth within the NEXPRESS platform, from the mid-level NEXPRESS M700 digital color press to the KODAK NEXPRESS 2100 Plus, 2500 and S3000 Digital Production Color Presses.

The NEXPRESS S3000 digital production color press produces 3,000 A3 sheets per hour, or 100 A4 pages per minute, for the full range of supported substrate types (coated, uncoated, synthetics, standard offset paper and selected packaging board and textured paper) and weights (60-350 gsm). Maximum sheet capacity totals 11,000 with targeted monthly print volumes of 450,000 or more.

Customers wishing to take advantage of the speed of this new production digital color press can purchase a new NEXPRESS 2500 press now with an available upgrade option to the speed of the NEXPRESS S3000 press. The upgrade will be available for installation at the same time the S3000 systems are available. The NEXPRESS S3000 digital production color press is scheduled for availability in October 2007.

The KODAK NEXPRESS 2100 Plus, 2500, and S3000 Digital Color Production Color Presses address customers with the most demanding productivity and volume requirements. These systems also offer the optional GATF InterTech Award-winning KODAK NEXPRESS Fifth Imaging Unit, which enables a wide range of unique applications by providing a wider color gamut, clear ink capabilities for security, watermarking, or protection, as well as a very appealing and cost effective high gloss finish when used in conjunction with the glosser unit.

KODAK NEXPRESS Production Presses are ideally suited to meet the needs of customers alternating between offset and digital environments because they provide an open workflow, outstanding color matching capabilities, and the broadest range of offset substrate compatibility.

Latest Digital Front End

The KODAK NEXSTATION V Front End and KODAK NEXSTATION System Software Version 9.0 comprise a new operating control system that increases uptime and improves productivity of NEXPRESS presses. The NEXSTATION front end as part of the KODAK Unified Workflow Solutions integrates with KODAK PRINERGY Workflow Systems and other leading workflow management systems. The open architecture makes job acceptance easier and reduces errors by using standard file formats and job ticketing information (PS, PDF, JDF, VDX/PPML).

NEXSTATION V front end with NEXSTATION system software version 9.0 is one of the first workflow systems to include the new ADOBE PDF Print Engine for improved, native capability for processing documents with complex transparency features. In addition, support is now provided for ADOBE ACROBAT 8.0 PDF files.

NEXTSTATION system software version 9.0 running on the KODAK NEXPRESS 2100 Plus, 2500 and S3000 Systems can work with KODAK COLORFLOW Technology to control, communicate and confirm that the intended color has been achieved and can be consistently reproduced across multiple devices.

New Roll Feeder Option

The roll feeder from Lasermax Roll Systems is a productivity enhancer for KODAK NEXPRESS 2500 and S3000 Digital Production Color Presses. The inline roll feeder can save time, money and labor by providing up to 60,000 A4 sheets per roll for hours of uninterrupted operation. It increases the efficiency of transactional, book production, direct mail and other high volume workflows. The choice of front or rear feeding options provides great flexibility in site layout.

Proven Business Development

To help customers drive top line growth and maximize their return on investment with NEXPRESS presses, KODAK MARKETMOVER Business Development Services provide innovative sales and marketing support. KODAK MARKETMOVER Services combine an expert team of professionals, extensive resources, and a vast suite of services, including the KODAK MARKETMOVER Network, to help customers achieve dynamic business growth.

Profitable Choices

The addition of two new presses, a new digital front end, and new roll feeding capability to the existing powerful lineup of digital printing solutions from Kodak makes it easy for print providers to choose the best technology and solutions to increase their revenue potential, enhance their productivity and deliver outstanding quality products to their customers.

“First time and established digital print providers now have more opportunities to grow their businesses with the expanded NEXPRESS digital color platform by adding services, enhancing productivity, controlling costs and maximizing investments,” said Langley.

The newly expanded NEXPRESS digital color platform combined with the KODAK DIGIMASTER EX Production Platform, launched in October 2006, create a powerful complement of profit generating products and services for print providers to add to their existing offset and digital investments.

KODAK products are backed by KODAK Service and Support. Named Best Support Organization at the 2006 International Business Awards, KODAK Service and Support includes more than 3,000 professionals in 120 countries. These professionals are fully qualified to help customers control costs, maximize productivity, and minimize business risk.

About Eastman Kodak Company
Kodak is the world’s foremost imaging innovator. With sales of $13.3 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; Creative Professionals rely on KODAK technology to uniquely tell their story through moving or still images; and leading Healthcare organizations rely on Kodak’s innovative products, services and customized workflow solutions to help improve patient care and maximize efficiency and information sharing within and across their enterprise. More information about Kodak (NYSE: EK) is available at http://www.kodak.com.

For more information about Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group, visit http://www.graphics.kodak.com. For downloading photos from Kodak’s image library, visit: http://www.kodak.com/go/gcg_images.